EXHIBIT 99.2

                                [GRAPHIC OMITTED]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACTS:

D. Ashley Lee                                                       Katie Brazel
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and          Fleishman Hillard
Chief Operating Officer                                      Phone: 404-739-0150
Phone: 770-419-3355

               CRYOLIFE NAMES FORMER FDA OFFICIAL JAMES S. BENSON
                            TO ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ATLANTA, December 28, 2005 -- CryoLife, Inc. (NYSE: CRY), a biomaterials and
biosurgical device company, announced today the appointment of James S. Benson
to its Board of Directors. Mr. Benson retired in 2002 from Advanced Medical
Device Association (AdvaMed, formerly known as the Health Industry Manufacturers
Association), where he was Executive Vice President for Technical and Regulatory
Affairs.

Prior to his tenure at AdvaMed, Mr. Benson served for 20 years with the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA), where he held several senior positions, including
Acting Commissioner, and worked closely with other federal agencies involved in
public health such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He retired from the FDA as director of
the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) in 1992.

While at AdvaMed, Mr. Benson was instrumental in working with Congress to create
the Food and Drug Modernization Act of 1997, the Biomaterials Access Act of 1998
and the Medical Device UserFee and Modernization Act of 2002.

Steven G. Anderson, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "I'm
delighted to have Jim join the CryoLife Board of Directors. His many years at
the FDA where he was deeply involved in interpreting laws that affect public
health and establishing health policy will be invaluable to the company as we
move forward. The Board joins me in offering our congratulations to Jim. We look
forward to working with him."

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Founded in 1984, CryoLife, Inc. is a leader in the processing and distribution
of implantable living human tissues for use in cardiovascular and vascular
surgeries throughout the United States and Canada. The Company's BioGlue(R)
Surgical Adhesive is FDA approved as an adjunct to sutures and staples for use
in adult patients in open surgical repair of large vessels and is CE marked in
the European Community and approved in Canada for use in soft tissue repair and
approved in Australia for use in vascular and pulmonary sealing and repair. The
Company also manufactures the SG Model #100 vascular graft, which is CE marked
for distribution within the European Community.


     Statements made in this press release that look forward in time or that
express management's beliefs, expectations or hopes are forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. These future events may not occur as and when expected, if at all, and,
together with the Company's business, are subject to various risks and
uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include that Mr. Benson's
experience will not prove invaluable to the Company, that the Company's
aggregate revenues and expenses may not meet its expectations, the possibility
that as a result of its inspections of the Company's facilities or other events
the FDA could impose additional restrictions on the Company's operations,
require a recall, prevent the Company from processing and distributing tissues
or manufacturing and distributing other products, or take other actions which
the Company may not be able to address in a timely or cost-effective manner if
at all, that the Company may not have sufficient borrowing or other capital
availability to fund its business, that pending or threatened litigation cannot
be settled on terms acceptable to the Company, that the Company may not have
sufficient resources to pay punitive damages or other liabilities arising from
litigation which are not covered by available insurance, the possibility of
severe decreases in the Company's revenues and working capital, that to the
extent the Company does not have sufficient resources to pay the claims against
it, it may be forced to cease operations or seek protection under applicable
bankruptcy laws, changes in laws and regulations applicable to CryoLife and
other risk factors detailed CryoLife's Securities and Exchange Commission
filings, including CryoLife's Form 10-K filing for the year ended December 31,
2004, its registration statement on Form S-3 (Reg. No. 333-121406), CryoLife's
most recent Form 10-Q, and its other SEC filings. The Company does not undertake
to update its forward-looking statements.

   For additional information about the company, visit CryoLife's web site:
   http://www.cryolife.com

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