Medtronic Announces CE Mark and European Launch of New 'Defender' Embolic Protection...

Medtronic Announces CE Mark and European Launch of New 'Defender' Embolic Protection Filter

Mesh Basket-Like Device Protects Patients During Minimally
Invasive Cardiovascular Stenting Procedures
MINNEAPOLIS--(Business Wire)--
Expanding its portfolio of medical technology for vascular
interventionalists, Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), today announced CE
(Conformite Europeene) mark approval and the European market launch of
the Defender embolic protection filter for use during minimally
invasive procedures in carotid arteries and saphenous vein grafts. The
first uses of the new Defender filter were recently completed by
interventional cardiologists and vascular surgeons in Germany and
Spain.

Worldwide, hundreds of thousands of patients undergo
cardiovascular procedures each year - many involving the implantation
of stents - to improve blood flow. Made of braided nitinol (a "memory
metal" that resumes its original shape upon deployment), the Defender
embolic protection filter has a low profile and a peel-away delivery
sheath that enables physicians to maneuver the device easily across
lesions to the desired location. When opened, the filter acts as a
basket, allowing sufficient blood flow while simultaneously trapping
dangerous embolic debris that may become dislodged during the stenting
procedure. Without this protection, embolic debris can flow into other
portions of blood vessels - and, in the case of patients with carotid
artery disease, this can lead to a stroke, one of the world's leading
causes of death and long-term disability.

The new Defender embolic protection filter is now available
throughout the European Union, said Rob ten Hoedt, vice president of
the CardioVascular business for Medtronic in Western Europe. CE Mark
approval gives Medtronic the ability to market this device in European
countries and other international markets. The Defender filter is not
available in the United States.

"While designing the Defender filter, we conducted extensive
research with physicians to understand their needs and what they felt
were the most important qualities in an embolic protection device,"
said ten Hoedt. "They told us they needed a filter that is easy to
use, with excellent deliverability and a low crossing profile to
minimize the risk of dislodging debris when they cross a lesion. The
Defender filter is innovatively engineered to meet all those needs,
even in patients with challenging and complex anatomies."

"For me," said Dr. Andrej Schmidt from the Department of Clinical
and Interventional Angiology at the Heart Center in Leipzig, Germany,
"the most important attribute for a filter is its crossing profile,
and Defender has one of the lowest profiles available on the market."

The Defender filter has a 2.2 French (0.029 inch) crossing profile
and an extendable 0.014 inch stainless steel core wire that is
designed for both flexibility and support. Also, the device's mesh
filter basket design allows the filter to fit snugly against vessel
walls, even in eccentrically shaped vessels. This reduces the risk of
embolization by preventing particles from migrating through gaps and
into the blood stream. Another key feature of the device is its
steerability and guidewire-like torque response, which measures the
number of revolutions needed to turn the tip 180 degrees within the
sheath. Bench testing shows the Defender filter to have improved
torque response.

"Torque response is a key attribute for a filter, and Defender
performed very well, with a 1-to-1 torque response between the
proximal and distal tip of the wire," said Dr. Dierk Scheinert,
director of the Park-Hospital Leipzig and head of the Department of
Angiology at the University of Leipzig Heart Center. "We were
impressed with the trackability of the system. One of the cases had a
long lesion (2 cm) to cross, and the filter went through without any
issue."

About Medtronic

Medtronic, Inc. (www.medtronic.com), headquartered in Minneapolis,
is the global leader in medical technology - alleviating pain,
restoring health, and extending life for millions of people around the
world.

Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and
uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic's Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended April 27, 2007. Actual results may differ
materially from anticipated results.

Medtronic, Inc.
Public Relations, Europe
Yvan Deurbroeck, 41-21-802-7574
or
Public Relations, U.S.
Joe McGrath, 707-591-7367
or
Investor Relations
Jeff Warren, 763-505-2696

Copyright Business Wire 2008