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                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             Washington, D.C. 20549
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                                    FORM 8-K

                    PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d) OF THE
                        SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934


         Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) May 29, 1997


                               CONMED CORPORATION
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             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


           New York                         0-16093             16-0977505
- -------------------------------           ------------       -------------------
(State or other jurisdiction of           (Commission        (I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization)            File Number)       Identification No.)

    310 Broad Street, Utica, New York                             13501
 ---------------------------------------                        ----------
 (Address of principal executive offices)                       (Zip Code)


                                 (315) 797-8375
              ----------------------------------------------------
              (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

Item 5.   Other Events

                  On May 29, 1997,  CONMED  Corporation  (the Company) signed an
asset  purchase  agreement  whereby the Company will acquire a product line from
Davol Inc., a subsidiary of C.R.  Bard,  Inc. The  acquisition,  which  includes
approximately $25 million of net sales, is scheduled to close on June 30, 1997.

Item 7.  Financial Statements and Exhibits

                  (c)   Exhibits

                        1.  Press release dated May 29, 1997.



                                    Signature

         Pursuant to the  requirements  of Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, the
Registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

                                                 CONMED CORPORATION

                                                 By:/s/ Robert D. Shallish, Jr.
                                                    ---------------------------
                                                    Robert D. Shallish, Jr.
                                                    Vice President-Finance

Dated: June 18, 1997

[GRAPHIC-COMPANY LETTERHEAD]                                   NEWS RELEASE

May 29, 1997

CONTACT: ROBERT D. SHALLISH, JR.
                  (315) 797-8375
                  EXT. 2219

FOR RELEASE:   7:00 AM (EDT) May 29, 1997

              CONMED To Acquire Surgical Suction Connecting Tubing
          and Suction Instruments From a Subsidiary of C.R. Bard, Inc. 

         Utica, New York - CONMED CORPORATION (NASDAQ: CNMD) today announced the
signing of an agreement with Davol Inc., a subsidiary of C.R. Bard,  Inc. (NYSE:
BCR)  for  the  acquisition  of  Davol  Inc.'s  Yankauer,   Poole,  Frazier  and
Sigmoidoscopic  and connecting tubing surgical suction  instrument product line.
The products are used  routinely by physicians in surgical  procedures  and have
sales of  approximately  $25 million.  Terms of the purchase were not disclosed.
The Agreement does not include Davol Inc.'s performance irrigation product line.

         Subject  to   clearance   under  the  Hart  Scott   Rodino   Anti-trust
Improvements  Act of 1976,  the  acquisition  is  scheduled to close on June 30,
1997.

         Eugene R. Corasanti, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of
the Board,  said,  "The  purchase of this product line is a fine addition to our
CONMED family of products.  It will fit well with our recently reorganized sales
structure and our medical manufacturing expertise."

         The products are currently  manufactured in facilities of Davol Inc. in
Cranston,  Rhode Island and  Lawrence,  Kansas.  The  production in the Cranston
plant will be moved to CONMED's  Utica  location  while the Lawrence  production
will be continued in the Lawrence facility.

         CONMED   Corporation  is  a  manufacturer  of   electrosurgery,   heart
monitoring and other medical products used primarily in hospital operating rooms
and other critical care areas.  The Company  distributes its products  worldwide
from  manufacturing  and  warehousing  facilities  in Utica and Rome,  New York;
Denver Colorado; Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas.