CryoLife, Inc. Selected for the FORBES Magazine 200 Best Small Companies in America

ATLANTA, Oct 15, 2001 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- CryoLife, Inc. (NYSE: CRY), a life- science company involved in the development and commercialization of cryopreserved and tissue-engineered implantable heart valves, vascular and orthopaedic reconstruction grafts, and surgical adhesives, today announced that it was selected as one of the FORBES 200 Best Small Companies in America for 2001. The list is published in the October 29, 2001 issue of FORBES.

According to the FORBES Magazine criteria, companies must clear a number of hurdles to make the 200 BEST list, including five-year sales and earnings- per-share (EPS) growth rates of at least 5%. The ranks are determined by weighing a combination of return on equity, sales and earnings-per-share growth.

Steven G. Anderson, President and Chief Executive Officer, CryoLife, Inc., said, "We are extremely pleased to be recognized as one of the 200 Best Small Companies. The ranking by FORBES reflects the 30% increase in CryoLife's market capitalization for this calendar year, as of October 12, 2001 and gain through stock price appreciation of 29% during the same period. For the five- year period, 1996-2000 CryoLife, Inc.'s market capitalization grew 632% and the company's stock price increased 485%. As of October 12, 2001, CryoLife, Inc.'s market capitalization has increased 849% and stock price has increased 653% since January 1, 1996.

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 surgical adhesive is approved as an adjunct for use in acute thoracic aortic dissections under HDE regulations in the United States and is CE marked in the European Community and approved in Canada and Australia for use in vascular and pulmonary sealing and repair. The Company also manufactures the SynerGraft(R) heart valve, the SynerGraft vascular graft, the world's first tissue-engineered heart valve and vascular replacements, 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.

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

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

                    

SOURCE CryoLife, Inc.

CONTACT:          Roy Vogeltanz, Vice President, Corporate Communications of
                  CryoLife, Inc., 1-800-438-8285