CryoLife, Inc. Announces First Implant Of Its Tissue-Engineered Synergraft Heart Valve in Norway

ATLANTA, Ga., Feb. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- CryoLife, Inc. (NYSE: CRY), the leader in the development and commercialization of tissue-engineered implantable heart valves, vascular grafts and protein-based surgical adhesives, today announced that its revolutionary SynerGraft(R) heart valve was successfully implanted in a 3 year old male child at a hospital in Norway.

CryoLife's SynerGraft technology represents a major development in tissue- engineered replacement biologic devices for repair of damaged or diseased human tissues. The technology incorporates the use of porcine-based heart valve tissue that has been depopulated of its porcine cells, leaving a collagen matrix that has the potential to repopulate with the recipient's own cells, providing a bioengineered human heart valve with structure and biodynamics similar to the recipient's own heart valve. It is anticipated that the tissue-engineered valve will have the capability to grow with the maturing of the child, thus potentially avoiding a series of heart valve replacement procedures.

On October 25, 2000, CryoLife's porcine SynerGraft heart valves received a CE (product certification) Mark allowing for commercial distribution of the new tissue-engineered pulmonary heart valve throughout the European Union. Steven G. Anderson, President and Chief Executive Officer, CryoLife, Inc., said, "Development of the SynerGraft technology is designed to provide surgeons with a revolutionary new family of tissue-engineered biologic products that have the potential to remodel themselves with the patient's own cells in vivo."

The implanting physician was Sigurd Birkeland, M.D., a member of the Section of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery at the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Division of Heart and Lung Diseases, The National Hospital, University of Oslo, Norway.

Founded in 1984, CryoLife, Inc. is the leader in the development and commercialization of implantable living human tissues for use in cardiovascular, vascular, and orthopaedic surgeries throughout the United States and Canada. The Company's BioGlue(R) surgical adhesive is approved as an adjunct for acute thoracic aortic dissections under HDE regulations in the United States and is CE marked in the European Union and approved in Canada for use in vascular and pulmonary sealing and repair. The Company also manufactures the SynerGraft heart valve, the world's first tissue-engineered heart valve replacement and the CryoLife-O'Brien(R) and CryoLife-Ross(R) stentless porcine heart valves, which are CE Marked for distribution within the European Community. The human heart valves and vascular grafts processed by CryoLife using the SynerGraft technology are distributed in the U.S. under the trade names of CryoValve(R) SG and CryoVein(R) SG, respectively.

Statements made in this release that look forward in time or that express management's beliefs, expectations or hopes regarding future occurrences are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These future events may not occur when expected, if at all, and are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Such risks and uncertainties include the possibility that SynerGraft heart valves will not repopulate with human recipient cells, or if repopulation does occur, that it will not have the anticipated effects, including without limitation, growing with a maturing child; that future clinical SynerGraft test results will prove less encouraging than current results; that SynerGraft regulatory submissions will not be ready when planned or that anticipated regulatory approvals will not be obtained on a timely basis, if at all; that SynerGraft and SynerGraft SG heart valves will not be accepted by surgeons and other risk factors detailed in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including the Company's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999.

For additional information about the company, visit CryoLife's web site: http://www.cryolife.com .

    U.S. Contact:             Roy Vogeltanz
                              Vice President, Corporate Communications
                              (800) 438-8285

    U.K./European Contact:    Robert Hanley
                              President, CryoLife(R) Europa, Ltd.
                              44(0) 1329 229800

SOURCE CryoLife, Inc.

-0- 02/22/2001

CONTACT: U.S., Roy Vogeltanz, Vice President of Corporate Communications of CryoLife, Inc., 800-438-8285, or U.K./European, Robert Hanley, President,