ST. JUDE MEDICAL EXPANDS SPYGLASS ANGIOGRAPHY CATHETER PRODUCT LINE

ST. PAUL, Minn., Feb. 1 /PRNewswire/-- St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE: STJ) announced today that it has expanded its Spyglass(TM) angiography catheter product line to include a smaller 5 French (5F) catheter. The new 5F Spyglass catheter was developed by the Company's Daig specialty catheter business. The 5F Spyglass product, which includes more than 30 varieties, complements Daig's existing 6F Spyglass catheter product line introduced in 1998.

The 5F Spyglass catheter is designed for use in angiography, in which blood vessels in the heart are examined by X-ray following the injection of a contrast material that provides a diagnostic image of coronary arteries. The 5F Spyglass product line incorporates a unique new multi-stage braided design that provides demonstrated higher torque response, improved catheter handling and higher flow rates than other 5F catheters.

Daig President, Michael J. Coyle, said, "The 5F Spyglass is an important addition to our Spyglass catheter product family. Daig now is positioned to more effectively compete in the diagnostic angiography catheter market, which is estimated at more than $140 million worldwide.

"Daig is well known for revolutionizing catheter introducer technology. With the launch of the 5F Spyglass catheter, Daig is continuing its tradition of providing innovative tools to meet a wide range of clinical needs for cardiologists. The smaller 5F Spyglass catheter, with its unique braiding technology, means potentially less trauma and faster healing time for patients. It also offers excellent maneuverability and flow rates," Coyle continued.

The 5F Spyglass features a new proprietary catheter material, designed to complement the unique braiding technology, which gives exceptional torque response, pushability, lubricity, and curve stability in-vivo, as well as pigtail catheter flexibility for valve crossing. The catheters feature tapered soft tips, which can reduce the risk of vessel trauma and provide good radiopacity for visualization.

Additional features include precise extrusion tolerances, which are compatible with other Daig angiography system components, and large inner lumen, which provides high flow rates for better image definition.

St. Jude Medical, Inc. ( http://www.sjm.com ) develops, manufactures and distributes medical devices for the global cardiovascular market. The Company serves patients and its health care customers worldwide with the highest quality products and services including heart valves, cardiac rhythm management systems, specialty catheters and other cardiovascular devices.
SOURCE St. Jude Medical, Inc.

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2/1/99 /CONTACT: Laura Merriam, Investor Relations, 651-766-3029, or Peter Gove, Media Relations, 651-481-7790, both of St. Jude Medical Inc./

/Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/816662.html or fax, 800-758-5804, ext. 816662/

/Web site: http://www.sjm.com/ (STJ)
CO: St. Jude Medical, Inc. ST: Minnesota IN: MTC SU: PDT

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