St. Jude Medical to Showcase Broad Portfolio of Heart Valve Products at AATS.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

AATS

ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 22, 2004

St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ) will demonstrate its comprehensive mechanical, tissue and repair heart valve product line at the upcoming American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) meeting, April 25-28, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The Company will also host a symposium on "The Role of Technology and the Internet in Cardiac Surgery" on Monday, April 26, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. One of the pioneers of medicine and the Internet, George D. Lundberg, M.D., will speak on how the Internet is impacting cardiac surgery practices. From 1982 to 1999, Dr. Lundberg served as the American Medical Association's (AMA) Editor in Chief, Scientific Information and Multimedia, with editorial responsibility for its 39 medical journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). In 1999, he became Editor in Chief of Medscape, the Internet's leading professional site for health and medical information. Dr. Lundberg was named Editor in Chief Emeritus of Medscape and Special Healthcare Advisor to the Chairman and CEO of WebMD in 2002.

Dr. James L. Cox, M.D., the developer of the Cox-Maze surgical procedure, will speak at the symposium on the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) and how physicians, patients and the Internet interact in the treatment of atrial fibrillation. Dr. Cox was instrumental in working with Epicor Medical, Inc. to develop a high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation system for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. St. Jude Medical made a minority investment in Epicor Medical in 2003 and has the right to acquire the remaining ownership of Epicor in mid-2004 if specific clinical and regulatory milestones are met.

St. Jude Medical's most advanced mechanical heart valve - the SJM Regent(R) valve - will be displayed at the Company's booth. This "gold standard" valve, launched in the U.S. just two years ago, is the most hemodynamically efficient mechanical valve ever developed, and has been instrumental in driving the Company's aortic heart valve sales.

In the stented tissue valve segment, St. Jude Medical will highlight its SJM Biocor(TM) and SJM Epic(TM) stented tissue valves. In early 2003, the Company initiated U.S. clinical trials for the SJM Epic(TM) valve, an important step since stented tissue valves make up approximately 45 percent of the overall U.S. heart valve market. The SJM Epic(TM) valve builds on the proven design of the SJM Biocor(TM) valve, with the added benefit of the Company's proprietary Linx(TM) anticalcification technology. Both these valves are performing strongly in the European market, and the Company expects regulatory approval to launch the SJM Biocor(TM) in the U.S. in 2004.

Additionally, St. Jude Medical has recently expanded its stented tissue valve line with the addition of the SJM Epic(TM) Supra.(a) This supra-annular stented tissue valve, which received European CE Marking in late 2003, is implanted above the annulus - a supporting structure around the aortic valve leaflets - and is especially useful for patients with smaller aortic roots.

The Company will also feature two stentless valves and will offer a special demonstration of implant techniques for its leading stentless valve - the Toronto SPV(R) valve. St. Jude Medical recently celebrated the 20,000th implant of this valve, performed by the valve's developer, Tirone E. David, M.D., at Toronto General Hospital in Toronto. Ten-year clinical data, released as part of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Post Approval Clinical Investigation in 2003, underscored that the Toronto SPV(R) valve has excellent durability, patient valve-related survival rates, clinical performance and hemodynamics. Data from Dr. David's experience will be presented at the AATS.

The Toronto Root(TM) is designed for procedures where both aortic root and valve replacement are indicated. The Toronto Root(TM) incorporates St. Jude Medical's proprietary BiLinx(TM) anticalcification technology, uniquely designed to reduce calcification of the aortic wall tissue as well as the aortic leaflets. The Toronto Root(TM) valve is approved for marketing in some select international geographies including Europe. The product has been under clinical trials in Canada and the U.S. since the second half of 2001.

In addition to its mechanical and tissue valve products, St. Jude Medical will display a line of repair products, including the Sure-Lock(TM) Delivery System, an annuloplasty ring delivery system designed for simplified implantation of the Company's SJM(R) Seguin and SJM Tailor(TM) annuloplasty rings.

The Company will also provide information about its recently renewed and unique partnership with LifeNet to advance LifeNet's human donor (allograft) program for patients with valvular heart disease or heart defects. LifeNet is the country's largest, independent, non-profit, full-service tissue bank.

"AATS provides a valuable opportunity to interact with physicians, solicit feedback, and demonstrate our expanding product portfolio of the most advanced heart valve technologies," said Jane J. Song, President of St. Jude Medical's Cardiac Surgery business. "The information we gather will be helpful as we continue to develop innovative techniques and products we can offer our cardiac surgeon customers."

St. Jude Medical, Inc. (www.sjm.com) is dedicated to the design, manufacture and distribution of innovative medical devices of the highest quality, offering physicians, patients and payers unmatched clinical performance and demonstrated economic value.

(a) Currently not available in the U.S.