ABIOMED Launches Expanded Customer Services for U.S. Hospitals; Customer Reimbursement Webcast Scheduled, Aligning Recovery Outcomes and Economics

ABIOMED, Inc. (NASDAQ: ABMD) today announced expandedcustomer services for U.S. hospitals, including new customer tools, anexpanded Partnership in Healthcare Program to help hospitals optimizetheir mechanical circulatory support programs, and customer access toa variety of services to enhance and improve clinical and financialresults. Included in this offering is a customer Webcast being held onMay 18, 2006, at 2:00 p.m. ET. ABIOMED will provide hospital CFOs,Cardiovascular Surgeons, Service Line Administrators, Coding Managers,Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Coordinators, and other hospital staffwith critical reimbursement information for its AB5000(TM) and BVS(R)5000 Ventricular Assist Devices.

Conference call presenters include:

-- Daniel Raess, MD, Cardiovascular Surgeon, St. Francis Hospital, Indianapolis, IN

-- Judith M. Hickey, President, Princeton Reimbursement Group

-- Andrew Greenfield, Vice President, ABIOMED

-- Gwen Mayes, JD, Director, Government Relations & Reimbursement, ABIOMED.

"As more hospitals, including community hospitals, add circulatorysupport to their cardiovascular programs there is increasing interestfor ABIOMED to share best practices for improved clinical outcomes andreimbursement," said Michael R. Minogue, Chairman, CEO and Presidentof ABIOMED. "There have been many changes in reimbursement for VADs,including the recent Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)policy for increased reimbursement with recovery of the native hearton extracorporeal support. This move by CMS illustrates itsrecognition of the quality and cost benefits for heart recovery."

WEBCAST INFORMATION

To access this Webcast, visit: www.abiomed.com and click onReimbursement Webcast.

ABOUT ABIOMED

Based in Danvers, Massachusetts, ABIOMED, Inc. is a leadingdeveloper, manufacturer and marketer of medical products designed toassist or replace the pumping function of the failing heart. ABIOMEDcurrently manufactures and sells the AB5000(TM) Circulatory SupportSystem and the BVS(R) 5000 Biventricular Support System for thetemporary support of all patients with failing but potentiallyrecoverable hearts. In Europe, ABIOMED offers the IMPELLA(R)RECOVER(R) minimally invasive cardiovascular support systems under CEMark approval. The IMPELLA products are not currently available forsale in the United States. The Company's AbioCor(R) ImplantableReplacement Heart was the subject of an initial clinical trial underan Investigational Device Exemption from the United States Food andDrug Administration. The AbioCor has not been approved for commercialdistribution, and is not available for use or sale outside of theinitial clinical trial. For additional information please visit:www.abiomed.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Release contains forward-looking statements, includingstatements regarding development of ABIOMED's existing and newproducts, the Company's progress toward commercial growth, and futureopportunities. The Company's actual results may differ materially fromthose anticipated in these forward-looking statements based upon anumber of factors, including uncertainties associated withdevelopment, testing and related regulatory approvals, anticipatedfuture losses, complex manufacturing, high quality requirements,dependence on limited sources of supply, competition, technologicalchange, government regulation, the actual financial effect ofexpensing stock options in the first quarter of fiscal 2007, futurecapital needs and uncertainty of additional financing and other risksand challenges detailed in the Company's filings with the Securitiesand Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report filed on Form10-K. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on anyforward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of thisRelease. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly release theresults of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that maybe made to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the dateof this Release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.