Acquisition

AORTECH INTERNATIONAL PLC
1 September 1999
                              
                              
         ACQUISITION OF TISSUE HEART VALVE BUSINESS

AorTech  International plc, ('AorTech') the  Scottish  based
manufacturer   of  cardiovascular  devices   announces   the
acquisition of the Swillington, West Yorkshire based  tissue
heart  valve  division of Tissuemed Limited  for  a  sum  of
£800,000,  payable  in  cash.   A  further  £200,000   cash,
deferred   to  July  2000,  is  payable  subject  to   sales
performance.  The net assets acquired include fixed  assets,
stock, intellectual property and goodwill.

Aortech  also  announces that it is  proposing  to  issue  a
further  141,000 New Ordinary Shares at a price of 354p  per
share to raise approximately £499,000 gross.  It is proposed
that  these  shares  will be placed with  one  Institutional
Investor.  The proceeds from the Placing of these New Shares
will  be  applied towards the aforementioned  consideration.
The New Ordinary Shares rank pari passu in all respects with
the   existing  issued  Ordinary  Shares  in  the   Company.
Application  has been made to the London Stock Exchange  for
the New Ordinary Shares to be admitted to trading on AIM and
it  is  expected that Admission will become effective on  10
September 1999.

AorTech's Managing Director, Eddie McDaid, said:

'We  have  had  a  successful  distribution  agreement  with
Tissuemed for approximately 18 months and, as a result, have
negotiated  an outright purchase of its tissue  heart  valve
division.  The acquisition of this business now provides  us
with   ownership   of  an  entire  range  of   heart   valve
replacements, both mechanical and tissue at a time when  the
tissue  valve market has continued to increase its share  of
the overall heart valve replacement market.'

'Our  company will continue to manufacture the tissue valves
at  the  Swillington  facility.  The  acquisition  of  these
assets  should assist us in increasing our gross margin  and
profit  contribution from our tissue valve  sales  over  the
next few years.'

                                            1 September 1999
Enquiries:

AorTech International plc          Tel:  [phone]
Eddie McDaid, Managing Director

College Hill                       Tel:  [phone]
Michael Padley

Copies of this statement will be available for a period of
14 days from the Company's registered office: Phoenix
Crescent, Strathclyde Business Park, Bellshill, Scotland ML4
3NU.