Medtronic Unveils The LIFEPAK® 1000 Defibrillator

Adding to its advanced patient-focused solutions for professional emergency responders

MINNEAPOLIS – March 23, 2006 – Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) today announced its newest line of solutions for professional emergency responders, the LIFEPAK® 1000 defibrillator with cprMAX™ technology. The new line of LIFEPAK defibrillators is designed to drive better response times and meet existing challenges in emergency care. This addition will be publicly unveiled on March 24 in Baltimore, Md., at the EMS Today conference, one of the nation’s largest meetings of EMS professionals.

“Medtronic is committed to creating connected solutions to optimize patient outcomes in medical emergencies. We are excited to offer first responders a new defibrillation platform that can be tailored to their needs. The LIFEPAK 1000 defibrillator provides an advanced automated external defibrillator (AED) platform that can be upgraded and configured to meet a wide range of emergency response needs,” said Brian Webster, Vice President, Global Marketing and Solutions with Medtronic Emergency Response Systems. The all new cprMAX technology included in the device allows medical directors of emergency medical services (EMS) the flexibility to implement protocols as they evolve, improving patient care.

“With the newly released CPR guidelines from the American Heart Association, defibrillator and monitor flexibility is critical to providing state-of-the-art care in cardiac arrest resuscitation,” said Dr. Charles Lick, who practices emergency medicine at Allina’s Buffalo Hospital in Buffalo, Minn., and serves as medical director for Allina Medical Transportation. “The new LIFEPAK 1000 defibrillator will be able to accommodate user requests, with the goal of better outcomes for patients.”

The LIFEPAK 1000 defibrillator is a highly a rugged device, with a large, intuitive screen, to provide both graphical and ECG displays which can be quickly and easily assessed, as well as an advanced battery system to let providers know when the device is ready to operate. The device is equipped with ADAPTIV™ biphasic technology providing a full range of energy up to 360 joules.

A defibrillator is a medical device first responders use to treat a person who is the victim of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). SCA is most often caused by ventricular fibrillation, a dangerous, abnormal heart rhythm that causes the heart’s electrical signals to become completely disorganized. The heart is then unable to pump blood to the body, and the person quickly loses consciousness and stops breathing. Performing CPR and calling emergency medical services are not enough. Chances of survival drop 7-10 percent every minute without defibrillation.

About Medtronic
Medtronic’s Emergency Response Systems business unit, located in Redmond, Wash., pioneered defibrillation technology 50 years ago. With over 560,000 LIFEPAK defibrillators in operation worldwide, it is the world’s leading provider of external defibrillators for the treatment of sudden cardiac arrest. For more information on LIFEPAK defibrillator/monitors, visit www.medtronic-ers.com or call 1-800- 442-1142. Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), headquartered in Minneapolis, is the world’s leading medical technology company, alleviating pain, restoring health, and extending life for millions of people around the world. For more information about Medtronic, visit www.medtronic.com or call 1-800-328-2518.

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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 January 27, 2006. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results.

Contact Information

Anne Devine

Public Relations

Medtronic, Inc.

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