Utica, New York, July 26, 2005 - ----- CONMED Corporation (Nasdaq: CNMD) announced today its financial results for the second quarter of 2005.

Mr.     Joseph J. Corasanti, President and Chief Operating Officer, commented, “CONMED Corporation delivered another quarter of strong top line growth driven primarily by the terrific sales performance of our Arthroscopy and Electrosurgery products, and the September 2004 acquisition of our Endoscopic Technologies product line. Our organic sales increase of 8.0% in the quarter, which excludes the effects of foreign currency conversion and acquisition revenues, exceeds our internal forecasts and is the highest rate of organic growth in the recent past.”

Total sales for the second quarter increased 20.9% to $158.3 million ($156.4 million at constant exchange rates) compared to $130.9 million in the second quarter of 2004. The previously announced acquisition of the Endoscopic Technologies business on September 30, 2004 added $15.0 million to sales for the second quarter of 2005. Excluding acquisition and other charges (please see attached reconciliation for full explanation), non-GAAP net income for the second quarter grew 8.9% to $13.4 million compared to $12.3 million (GAAP) in the second quarter of 2004. Earnings per diluted share grew 9.8% to $0.45 (non-GAAP) compared to $0.41 (GAAP) in last year’s second quarter. GAAP net income, including acquisition and transition charges, for the three months ended June 2005 was $10.5 million, or $0.35 per diluted share.

As in the last several quarters, the growth in the Arthroscopy product line continues to be led by sales of minimally-invasive surgery camera systems, which increased 29% over the second quarter of 2004. This growth is being driven by sales of the enhanced definition camera, introduced early in 2004, which has superior resolution capabilities. The quality of its image enables it to compete effectively for both arthroscopy applications and general surgical applications. Powered Surgical Instruments growth came from the Company’s large bone products and also from the small bone handpiece PowerPro Max® introduced at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) conference in February of this year.

Electrosurgery’s growth once again exceeded market growth rates led by sales of the Company’s electrosurgical generators as well as single use products. Patient Care and Endosurgery experienced second quarter growth equivalent to market growth rates. The Endoscopic Technologies business sequentially improved its sales performance from the first quarter of 2005 and is performing as anticipated.

Compared to the second quarter of 2004, the Company’s gross margin has improved to 53.0% versus 52.5%, excluding acquisition transition charges, as a result of the addition of the Endoscopic Technologies products, which have gross margins that are higher than CONMED’s corporate average. Similarly, selling and administrative costs as a percentage of sales have increased compared to the second quarter of last year because sales and marketing costs of the Endoscopic Technologies business are higher than CONMED’s corporate average. In addition, CONMED experienced increased expenses associated with the antitrust litigation and higher research and development costs. As a result of the higher sales base in the second quarter of 2005 compared to the same period in 2004, offset to some degree by the effects of the changes in the Company’s expense profile discussed above, the Company’s income from operations grew 12% to $24.0 million, excluding acquisition transition and unusual charges, compared to $21.5 million (GAAP) in the second quarter of 2004. On a GAAP basis, income from operations in the second quarter of 2005 was $19.6 million.

For the third quarter ended September 30, 2005, management anticipates that revenues will approximate $153 - $156 million and that diluted earnings per share will be in a range of $0.41 - $0.44, excluding transition and unusual charges.

Acquisition, and Other Charges

Acquisition – The Company purchased the Endoscopic Technologies product line from C.R. Bard, Inc. on September 30, 2004, for a purchase price of approximately $80.0 million. As required by FASB 141, the Company has recorded the fair value of inventory acquired in the purchase transaction. Since the fair value of the inventory exceeds the manufacturing cost, as the initial inventory is sold, cost of sales is higher than what would normally have been the case. For the first six months of 2005, this added charge to cost of sales equaled $0.5 million. Further, during a transition period, CONMED is purchasing the Endoscopic Technologies finished goods from C.R. Bard at costs greater than what the Company expects its manufacturing costs will be once manufacturing is relocated to CONMED facilities. This difference in cost is estimated to be $1.8 million for the second quarter of 2005 and $3.6 million for the six months ended June, 2005, and has been recorded in cost of sales. The Company reaffirms that it expects the transition to extend into 2006 in order to permit an orderly transfer and to be sure that there is sufficient finished goods inventory on hand to meet customers’ requirements.

Accordingly, the Company expects it will incur additional cost of sales amounts on a quarterly basis of $1.5 - $2.0 million until the transition can be completed. The Company continues to work closely with the C.R. Bard management to facilitate the transition of manufacturing to CONMED’s locations.

Other unusual costs associated with the Endoscopic Technologies acquisition including compensation and other integration expenses amounted to $1.4 million for the second quarter of 2005 and $2.8 million for the first six months of 2005.

Cost associated with termination of a product – CONMED has offered integrated operating room design and installation for over two years following the acquisition of the line in November 2002. One of the components of the system had been a proprietary brand of surgical lights distributed for a third-party supplier. As previously announced, in the fourth quarter of 2004 the Company concluded that it was a better use of resources to focus research and development efforts on integrated systems development and has ceased selling its own brand of surgical lights.

CONMED no longer services the installed base of lights purchased from the Company. In order to maintain customer relationships, and in fairness to customers who purchased lights from CONMED expecting that CONMED would maintain its high level of service, the Company initiated a program to replace all of its surgical lights currently in use. The Company expensed $0.4 million in the second quarter of 2005 and $0.9 million in the first half of 2005. It expects additional charges totaling approximately $1.0 million over the remainder of 2005 as the replacement program is completed.

Environmental settlement – The Company has entered into a settlement of certain environmental claims relating to the operations of one of the Company’s subsidiaries during the 1980s, before it was acquired by CONMED, at a site other than the one it currently occupies. The current owner alleged that the acquired subsidiary caused environmental contamination of the property. In order to avoid litigation, the Company agreed to reimburse the owner for a certain percentage of past remediation costs, and to participate in the funding of the remediation activities. The total sum of all past costs, including attorney’s fees, together with the current estimate of future costs, amounts to approximately $0.7 million and has been recorded as an unusual charge in the quarter ended June 2005.

CONMED will broadcast its second quarter 2005 conference call live over the Internet today at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. This broadcast can be accessed from CONMED’s web site at www.conmed.com. Replays of the call will be made available through August 2, 2005.

CONMED Profile

CONMED is a medical technology company with an emphasis on surgical devices and equipment for minimally invasive procedures and monitoring. The Company’s products serve the clinical areas of arthroscopy, powered surgical instruments, electrosurgery, cardiac monitoring disposables, endosurgery and endoscopic technologies. They are used by surgeons and physicians in a variety of specialties including orthopedics, general surgery, gynecology, neurosurgery, and gastroenterology. Headquartered in Utica, New York, the Company’s 2,900 employees distribute its products worldwide from eleven manufacturing locations.

Forward Looking Information
This press release contains forward-looking statements based on certain assumptions and contingencies that involve risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and relate to the Company’s performance on a going-forward basis. The forward-looking statements in this press release involve risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results, performance or trends, including the above mentioned anticipated revenues and earnings, to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements herein or in previous disclosures. The Company believes that all forward-looking statements made by it have a reasonable basis, but there can be no assurance that management’s expectations, beliefs or projections as expressed in the forward-looking statements will actually occur or prove to be correct. In addition to general industry and economic conditions, factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to: (i) the failure of any one or more of the assumptions stated above, to prove to be correct; (ii) the risks relating to forward-looking statements discussed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004; (iii) cyclical purchasing patterns from customers, end-users and dealers; (iv) timely release of new products, and acceptance of such new products by the market; (v) the introduction of new products by competitors and other competitive responses; (vi) the possibility that any acquisition (and its integration) or other transaction may require the Company to reconsider its financial assumptions and goals/targets; and/or (vii) the Company’s ability to devise and execute strategies to respond to market conditions.