DANVERS, Mass.-March 16, 2004--ABIOMED, Inc., (NASDAQ:ABMD) today announced several recent hires, including a marketing manager for the Company's cardiac assist product lines and a reliability engineering manager.

"Because the Company is undergoing a period of notable growth, we are committed to making an investment in the hiring and development of talented individuals across every function of our business," commented Dr. David M. Lederman, ABIOMED's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "I am pleased to welcome these new members to our team and I am confident that they will contribute substantially to our mission."

Michael Giancola joins ABIOMED as Marketing Manager for the Company's existing and future cardiac assist products. He brings to ABIOMED 15 years of healthcare sales and marketing experience, including 11 years in the cardiac resuscitation market space. Most recently, Mr. Giancola was a Senior Manager at Moore Medical Corporation. His experience includes field sales, training, product management and marketing, and general management in both device manufacturing and distribution. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Youngstown State University.

Jeff Lawman joins ABIOMED as Reliability Engineering Manager in the Design Assurance Group. Previously, he held the positions of Senior Systems Reliability Engineer at Terabeam Corporation and Reliability Engineering Manager at Tektronix, Inc. His industrial experience includes telecommunications equipment, semiconductors, and graphical imaging equipment. Mr. Lawman completed his undergraduate and graduate education in Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Davis.

The company has also hired nine additional staff members since the end of January in departments including manufacturing, operations, regulatory, and accounting.

Based in Danvers, Massachusetts, ABIOMED, Inc. (pronounced “AB’-EE-O-MED”) is a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical products designed to assist or replace the pumping function of the failing heart. ABIOMED currently manufactures and sells the AB5000™ Circulatory Support System and the BVS® 5000 Biventricular Support System for the temporary support of all patients with failing but potentially recoverable hearts. The Company’s AbioCor® Implantable Replacement Heart is the subject of an initial clinical trial being conducted under an Investigational Device Exemption from the United States Food and Drug Administration. The AbioCor has not been approved for commercial distribution, and is not available for use or sale outside of the initial clinical trial.

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Media Contact:
Andrea tenBroek
Communications Specialist
(978) 646-1419
mediarelations@abiomed.com

Investor Relations Contact:
Edward E. Berger, Ph.D.
Vice President for Policy, Reimbursement and External Relations
(978) 646-1411
ir@abiomed.com