================================================================================

                                  United States
                       Securities and Exchange Commission
                                Washington, D.C.
                                      20549

                                    Form 10-K
                Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
                       The Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004       Commission file number 0-16093

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

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

       525 French Road, Utica, New York                         13502
    (Address of principal executive offices)                  (Zip Code)

                                 (315) 797-8375
               Registrant's telephone number, including area code
           Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

                     Common Stock, $.01 par value per share
                                (Title of class)

      Indicate by check mark  whether the  registrant  (1) has filed all reports
required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of
1934  during  the  preceding  12 months  (or for such  shorter  period  that the
registrant was required to file such reports),  and (2) has been subject to such
filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes |X| No |_|

      Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item
405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the
best of registrant's  knowledge,  in definitive proxy or information  statements
incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this
Form 10-K. |_|

      Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is an accelerated  filer (as
defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes |X| No |_|

      The  aggregate  market  value of the  shares of the  voting  stock held by
non-affiliates of the Registrant was approximately  $815,443,701  based upon the
closing  price of the Company's  common stock on the NASDAQ Stock Market,  which
was $27.40 on June 30, 2004.

      The  number of shares of the  Registrant's  $0.01 par value  common  stock
outstanding as of March 9, 2005 was 29,307,032.

                      DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE:

      Portions of the Definitive Proxy Statement or other  informational  filing
for the 2005 Annual Meeting of Shareholders  are  incorporated by reference into
Part III of this report.



                               CONMED CORPORATION
                           ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K
                        FOR YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2004
                                TABLE OF CONTENTS

                                     Part I

                                                                            Page
                                                                            ----

Item 1.   Business                                                            2
Item 2.   Properties                                                         26
Item 3.   Legal Proceedings                                                  27
Item 4.   Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders                27

                                     Part II

Item 5.   Market for the Registrant's Common Equity and Related
                   Stockholder Matters                                       28
Item 6.   Selected Financial Data                                            29
Item 7.   Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial
                   Condition and Results of Operations                       31
Item 7A.  Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About
                   Market Risk                                               45
Item 8.   Financial Statements and Supplementary Data                        46
Item 9.   Changes In and Disagreements with Accountants on
                   Accounting and Financial Disclosure                       46
Item 9A.  Controls and Procedures                                            46
Item 9B   Other Information                                                  46
                                    Part III

Item 10.  Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant                 47
Item 11.  Executive Compensation                                             47
Item 12.  Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and
                   Management                                                47
Item 13.  Certain Relationships and Related Transactions                     47
Item 14.  Principal Accounting Fees and Services                             47

                                     Part IV

Item 15.  Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules                         48


                                      -1-


CONMED CORPORATION

Item 1. Business

            Forward Looking Statements

      This  Annual  Report on Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended  December  31,
2004 ("Form 10-K") contains certain forward-looking  statements (as such term is
defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) and information
relating  to  CONMED  Corporation  ("CONMED",  the  "Company",  "we"  or "us" --
references to "CONMED",  the "Company",  "we" or "us" shall be deemed to include
our direct and  indirect  subsidiaries  unless the context  otherwise  requires)
which are based on the beliefs of our management, as well as assumptions made by
and information currently available to our management.

      When used in this Form 10-K, the words "estimate,"  "project,"  "believe,"
"anticipate,"  "intend,"  "expect"  and  similar  expressions  are  intended  to
identify forward-looking statements.  These statements involve known and unknown
risks,  uncertainties  and other factors,  including those  identified under the
caption "Item 1: Business -- Risk Factors" and elsewhere in this Form 10-K which
may cause our actual results, performance or achievements,  or industry results,
to be materially different from any future results,  performance or achievements
expressed or implied by such forward-looking  statements.  Such factors include,
among others, the following:

      o     general economic and business conditions;

      o     cyclical  customer  purchasing  patterns due to budgetary  and other
            constraints;

      o     changes in customer preferences;

      o     competition;

      o     changes in technology;

      o     the introduction and acceptance of new products;

      o     the ability to evaluate,  finance and integrate acquired businesses,
            products and companies;

      o     changes in business strategy;

      o     the  possibility  that United  States or foreign  regulatory  and/or
            administrative  agencies may initiate enforcement actions against us
            or our distributors;

      o     future levels of indebtedness and capital spending;

      o     quality of our management and business abilities and the judgment of
            our personnel;

      o     the availability, terms and deployment of capital;

      o     the risk of litigation, especially patent litigation as well as the
            cost associated with patent and other litigation;

      o     changes in regulatory requirements; and

      o     various other factors referenced in this Form 10-K.

See "Item  7-Management's  Discussion  and Analysis of Financial  Condition  and
Results of Operations" and "Item  1-Business" for a further  discussion of these
factors. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these  forward-looking
statements,  which speak only as of the date  hereof.  We do not  undertake  any
obligation to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements
to  reflect  events  or  circumstances  after  the date of this  Form 10-K or to
reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.


                                      -2-


General

      CONMED  Corporation  was  incorporated  under the laws of the State of New
York in 1970 by Eugene R.  Corasanti,  the  Company's  founder,  Chairman of the
Board and Chief  Executive  Officer.  CONMED  is a  medical  technology  company
specializing  in  instruments,  implants and video  equipment  for  arthroscopic
sports medicine and powered surgical  instruments,  such as drills and saws, for
orthopedic,   otolaryngologic   ("ENT"),   neurosurgery   and   other   surgical
specialties.  We are a leading  developer,  manufacturer  and  supplier of radio
frequency  ("RF")  electrosurgery  systems used  routinely to cut and  cauterize
tissue  in  nearly  all  types of  surgical  procedures  worldwide,  endosurgery
products such as trocars,  clip appliers,  scissors and surgical  staplers and a
full line of electrocardiogram ("ECG") electrodes for heart monitoring and other
patient  care  products.  We also offer  integrated  operating  room systems and
equipment.  Our newest product line,  CONMED  Endoscopic  Technologies  offers a
portfolio of  innovative  disposable  products  used by  gastroenterologists  to
diagnose and treat diseases of the digestive  tract.  Our products are used in a
variety  of  clinical  settings,  such  as  operating  rooms,  surgery  centers,
physicians'  offices and  hospitals.  See Note 9 to the  Consolidated  Financial
Statements for further discussion of our principal operating units.

      We have  historically used strategic  business  acquisitions and exclusive
distribution  relationships  to diversify  our product  offerings,  increase our
market  share in certain  product  lines,  realize  economies  of scale and take
advantage of growth  opportunities in the healthcare field. During the last five
years,  we  have  completed  eleven  strategic  business   acquisitions.   These
acquisitions,  complemented  by  internal  growth,  have  resulted in a compound
annual growth rate in net sales during that period of approximately 7%.

      We are  committed  to  offering  products  with the highest  standards  of
quality, technological excellence and customer service. Substantially all of our
facilities  have  attained  certification  under the ISO  international  quality
standards and other domestic and international quality accreditations.

      Our annual report on Form 10-K,  quarterly  reports on Form 10-Q,  current
reports on Form 8-K, and  amendments  to those  reports are  accessible  free of
charge    through   the    Investor    Relations    section   of   our   website
(http://www.conmed.com)  as soon as  practicable  after such  material  has been
electronically  filed with, or furnished to, the United  States  Securities  and
Exchange Commission.

Industry

      Market growth for our products is primarily driven by:

      o     Favorable Demographics.  The number of surgical procedures performed
            is  increasing.   This  growth  in  surgical   procedures   reflects
            demographic  trends,  such  as  the  aging  of the  population,  and
            technological advancements,  which result in safer and less invasive
            surgical procedures. Additionally, as people are living longer, more
            active  lives,  they are engaging in contact  sports and  activities
            such as running, skiing, rollerblading, golf and tennis which result
            in injuries  with greater  frequency and at an earlier age than ever
            before.  Sales of surgical products aggregated  approximately 90% of
            our total net revenues in 2004. See "Products."

      o     Continued  Pressure  to Reduce  Health  Care  Costs.  In response to
            rising  health  care  costs,   managed  care   companies  and  other
            third-party payers


                                      -3-


      have placed  pressures  on health care  providers  to reduce  costs.  As a
      result,  health care providers have focused on the high cost areas such as
      surgery.  To reduce costs,  health care  providers use minimally  invasive
      techniques,  which  generally  reduce  patient  trauma,  recovery time and
      ultimately  the  length  of  hospitalization.  Approximately  50%  of  our
      products are designed for use in minimally  invasive surgical  procedures.
      See  "Products."  Health care providers are also  increasingly  purchasing
      single-use,  disposable  products,  which reduce the costs associated with
      sterilizing  surgical  instruments  and products  following  surgery.  The
      single-use  nature of disposable  products  lowers the risk of incorrectly
      sterilized instruments spreading infection into the patient and increasing
      the  cost of  post-operative  care.  Approximately  75% of our  sales  are
      derived from single-use disposable products.

      In the United  States,  the  pressure on health care  providers to contain
      costs has caused many health care  providers  to enter into  comprehensive
      purchasing contracts with fewer suppliers,  which offer a broader array of
      products at lower prices.  In addition,  many health care  providers  have
      aligned  themselves  with  Group  Purchasing   Organizations  ("GPOs")  or
      Integrated Health Networks ("IHNs"),  whose stated purpose is to aggregate
      the purchasing  volume of their members in order to negotiate  competitive
      pricing with suppliers,  including  manufacturers of surgical products. We
      believe  that these  trends  will  favor  entities  which  offer a diverse
      product portfolio. See "--Business Strategy".

      o     Increased Global Medical  Spending.  We believe that foreign markets
            offer  significant  growth   opportunities  for  our  products.   We
            currently distribute our products through our own sales subsidiaries
            or through local dealers in over 100 foreign countries.

Competitive Strengths

      Management  believes that we hold a significant  market share  position in
each  of  our  key  product  areas  including,   Arthroscopy,  Powered  Surgical
Instruments,   Electrosurgery,   Patient  Care,   Endosurgery   and   Endoscopic
Technologies.  We have  established a leadership  position in the marketplace by
capitalizing on the following competitive strengths:

      o     Brand  Recognition.  Our products are marketed  under  leading brand
            names, including CONMED(R),  Linvatec(R) and Hall Surgical(R). These
            brand   names  are   recognized   by   physicians   and   healthcare
            professionals  for quality and service.  It is our belief that brand
            recognition  facilitates  increased  demand for our  products in the
            marketplace,  enables  us  to  build  upon  the  brand's  associated
            reputation  for quality and service,  and realize  increased  market
            acceptance of new branded products.

      o     Breadth of Product Offering. The breadth of our product lines in our
            key  product  areas  enables  us to meet a wide  range  of  customer
            requirements  and  preferences.  This has  enhanced  our  ability to
            market our products to surgeons,  hospitals,  surgery centers, GPOs,
            IHNs and  other  customers,  particularly  as  institutions  seek to
            reduce costs and minimize the number of suppliers.

      o     Successful  Integration  of  Acquisitions.  We seek to build  growth
            platforms  around our core markets through  focused  acquisitions of
            complementary  businesses  and product  lines.  During the last five
            years we have


                                      -4-


            completed eleven such acquisitions.  These acquisitions have enabled
            us  to  diversify  our  product  portfolio,  expand  our  sales  and
            marketing   capabilities   and   strengthen   our  presence  in  key
            geographical   markets.   Our  management   team  has   historically
            demonstrated  their ability to identify  complementary  acquisitions
            and  successfully  integrate  acquired  businesses and product lines
            into our operations.

      o     Strategic  Marketing  and  Distribution   Channels.  We  market  our
            products  domestically  through  five  focused  sales  force  groups
            consisting of approximately 170 employee sales  representatives  and
            230 sales professionals  employed by independent sales agent groups.
            Each of our dedicated sales  professionals are highly  knowledgeable
            in the  applications  and procedures for the products they sell. Our
            sales representatives  foster close professional  relationships with
            physicians,  surgeons,  hospitals,  outpatient  surgery  centers and
            physicians'  offices.  Additionally,  we maintain a global  presence
            through sales subsidiaries and branches located in key international
            markets.  We directly  service hospital  customers  located in these
            markets  through  an  employee-based  international  sales  force of
            approximately 60 sales representatives. We also maintain distributor
            relationships  domestically and in numerous countries worldwide. See
            "--Marketing."

      o     Operational  Improvements  and  Manufacturing.  We  are  focused  on
            continuously improving our supply chain effectiveness, strengthening
            our  manufacturing  processes  and  optimizing  our plant network to
            increase   operational   efficiencies   within   the   organization.
            Substantially  all of our products are  manufactured  and  assembled
            from components we produce.  Our strategy has  historically  been to
            vertically  integrate  our  manufacturing  facilities  in  order  to
            develop  competitive  advantage.  This integration  provides us with
            cost efficient and flexible manufacturing operations which permit us
            to allocate capital more  efficiently.  Additionally,  we attempt to
            exploit  commercial  synergies  between  operations,   such  as  the
            procurement  of  common  raw  materials  and   components   used  in
            production.

      o     Technological  Leadership.  Research  and  development  efforts  are
            closely aligned with our key business objectives,  namely developing
            and improving products and processes, applying innovative technology
            to the  manufacture  of products for new global markets and reducing
            the cost of producing core products.  These efforts are evidenced by
            recent product introductions,  including the following: Advantage(R)
            Turbo  Arthroscopic  Shaver  System;  PINN-ACL(R)  cross pin device;
            Lightwave(TM)  suction ablator;  PowerProMax(TM)  powered instrument
            handpieces,  batteries  and  attachments;  ThRevo(TM)  triple-loaded
            suture  anchor;  and  SuperRevo(R)/Bio-Anchor(R)/Duet(TM)/Impact(TM)
            suture anchors pre-threaded with Herculine(TM).

Business Strategy

            Our  principal  objectives  are to improve  the  quality of surgical
outcomes and patient care through the development of innovative medical devices,
refinement of existing products and development of new technologies which reduce
risk,  trauma,  cost and  procedure  time.  We  believe  that by  meeting  these
objectives we will enhance our ability to anticipate and adapt to customer needs
and market  opportunities,  and provide  shareholders  with superior  investment


                                      -5-


returns. We intend to achieve future growth and earnings development through the
following initiatives:

      o     Introduction   of  New   Products  and  Product   Enhancements.   We
            continually  pursue organic  growth  through the  development of new
            products and enhancements to existing  products.  We seek to develop
            new  technologies  which  improve the  durability,  performance  and
            usability of existing products. In addition to our internal research
            and  development  efforts,  we receive  new ideas for  products  and
            technologies,   particularly  in   procedure-specific   areas,  from
            surgeons, inventors and other healthcare professionals.

      o     Pursue Strategic  Acquisitions.  We pursue strategic acquisitions in
            existing  and new  growth  markets to  achieve  increased  operating
            efficiencies,  geographic  diversification  and market  penetration.
            Targeted  companies  have  historically  included  those with proven
            technologies  and  established  brand names which provide  potential
            sales, marketing and manufacturing synergies.

      o     Realize  Manufacturing  and Operating  Efficiencies.  We continually
            review our production  systems for opportunities to reduce operating
            costs,  consolidate product lines or identical process flows, reduce
            inventory   requirements  and  optimize  existing   processes.   Our
            vertically  integrated  manufacturing  facilities  allow for further
            opportunities to reduce overhead,  increase  operating  efficiencies
            and capacity utilization.

      o     Geographic  Diversification.  We  believe  that  significant  growth
            opportunities  exist for our  surgical  products  outside the United
            States.  Principal  foreign markets for our products include Europe,
            Latin America and Asia/Pacific  Rim. Critical elements of our future
            sales  growth  in these  markets  include  leveraging  our  existing
            relationships with foreign surgeons,  hospitals,  third-party payers
            and foreign  distributors,  maintaining an  appropriate  presence in
            emerging   market   countries   and   continually   evaluating   our
            routes-to-market.

      o     Active  Participation  In The  Medical  Community.  We believe  that
            excellent  working  relationships  with physicians and others in the
            medical   industry  enable  us  to  gain  an  understanding  of  new
            therapeutic  and  diagnostic   alternatives,   trends  and  emerging
            opportunities.  Active participation allows us to quickly respond to
            the changing needs of physicians and patients.


                                      -6-


Products

      The following table sets forth the percentage of net sales for each of our
product lines during each of the three years ended December 31:

                                                 Year Ended December 31,
                                                 -----------------------
                                           2002           2003            2004
                                           ----           ----            ----

Arthroscopy .......................            36%            37%            37%
Powered Surgical Instruments ......            25             25             23
Electrosurgery ....................            15             15             15
Patient Care ......................            16             14             14
Endosurgery .......................             8              9              8
Endoscopic Technologies ...........            --             --              3
                                         --------       --------       --------
  Total ...........................           100%           100%           100%
                                         ========       ========       ========
Net Sales (in thousands) ..........      $453,062       $497,130       $558,388
                                         ========       ========       ========

Arthroscopy

      We  offer  a  comprehensive  range  of  devices  and  products  for use in
arthroscopic surgery.  Arthroscopy refers to diagnostic and therapeutic surgical
procedures  performed on joints with the use of minimally invasive  arthroscopes
and related  instruments.  Minimally  invasive  arthroscopic  procedures  enable
surgical  repairs to be completed with less trauma to the patient,  resulting in
shorter recovery times and cost savings.  Arthroscopic  procedures are performed
on the knee and shoulder, and smaller joints, such as the wrist and ankle.

      Our   arthroscopy   products   include  powered   resection   instruments,
arthroscopes,   reconstructive   systems,   tissue   repair   sets,   metal  and
bioabsorbable  implants  and  related  disposable  products,   fluid  management
systems,  imaging products and integrated  operating room systems and equipment.
It is our standard  practice to transfer some of these products,  such as shaver
consoles  and  pumps,  to  certain   customers  at  no  charge.   These  capital
"placements"  allow  for and  accommodate  the use of a  variety  of  disposable
products,  such as shaver blades,  burs and pump tubing.  We have benefited from
the  introduction  of  new  arthroscopic  products  and  technologies,  such  as
bioabsorbable  screws,  ablators,   "push-in"  and  "screw-in"  suture  anchors,
resection shavers and cartilage repair implants.

      A significant  portion of arthroscopic  procedures are performed to repair
injuries  which  have  occurred  in the joint  areas of the body.  Many of these
injuries are the result of sports  related events or similar  traumas.  For this
reason, arthroscopy is often referred to as "sports medicine."



- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     Arthroscopy
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Product                                               Description                          Brand Name
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                   
Ablators and Shaver Ablators     Electrosurgical ablators and resection ablators to      Advantage(R)
                                 resect and remove soft tissue and bone; used in knee,   ESA(TM)
                                 shoulder and small joint surgery.                       Sterling(R)
                                                                                         UltrAblator(R)
                                                                                         Lightwave(TM)
                                                                                         Trident(R)



                                      -7-




- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     Arthroscopy
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Product                                               Description                          Brand Name
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                   
Knee Reconstructive Systems      Products used in cruciate reconstructive surgery;       Paramax(R)
                                 includes instrumentation, screws, pins and ligament     Pinn-ACL(R)
                                 harvesting and preparation devices.                     Grafix(R)

Soft Tissue Repair Systems       Instrument systems designed to attach specific torn     Spectrum(R)
                                 or damaged soft tissue to bone or other soft tissue     Inteq(R)
                                 in the knee, shoulder and wrist; includes               Shuttle Relay(TM)
                                 instrumentation, guides, hooks and suture devices.      Blitz(R)

Fluid Management Systems         Disposable tubing sets, disposable and reusable         Apex(R)
                                 inflow devices, pumps and suction/waste management      Quick-Flow(R)
                                 systems for use in arthroscopic and general surgeries.  Quick-Connect(R)

Imaging                          Surgical video systems for endoscopic procedures;       Apex(R)
                                 includes autoclavable single and three-chip camera      8180 Series
                                 heads and consoles, endoscopes, light sources,          Envision(TM)
                                 monitors, VCRs and printers.                            Autoclavable
                                                                                         Three Chip Camera
                                                                                         Head

Implants                         Products including bioabsorbable and metal screws,      BioScrew(TM)
                                 pins and suture anchors for attaching soft tissue to    Bio-Anchor(R)
                                 bone in the knee, shoulder and wrist as well as         BioTwist(R)
                                 miniscal repair.                                        UltraFix(R)
                                                                                         Revo(R)
                                                                                         Super Revo(R)
                                                                                         Bionx(TM)
                                                                                         Meniscus Arrow(TM)

Integrated operating room        Centralized operating room management and control       CONMED(R)
systems and equipment            systems, service arms and service managers.             Nurse's Assistant(R)

Other Instruments and            Forceps, graspers, punches, probes, sterilization       Shutt(R)
Accessories                      cases and other general instruments for arthroscopic    Concept(R)
                                 procedures.                                             TractionTower(R)
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Powered Surgical Instruments

      Electric,  battery or pneumatic  powered surgical  instruments are used to
perform orthopedic, arthroscopic and other surgical procedures, such as cutting,
drilling or reaming.  Each  instrument  consists of one or more  handpieces  and
related  accessories  as well as disposable  and limited  reusable  items (e.g.,
burs, saw blades,  drills and reamers).  Powered  instruments are categorized as
either


                                      -8-


small bone,  large bone or  specialty  powered  instruments.  Specialty  powered
instruments  are utilized in procedures  such as spinal  surgery,  neurosurgery,
ENT, oral/maxillofacial surgery, and cardiothoracic surgery.

      Our line of powered  instruments  is sold  principally  under the  Hall(R)
Surgical brand name, for use in large and small bone  orthopedic,  arthroscopic,
oral/maxillofacial,   podiatric,   plastic,   ENT,   neurological,   spinal  and
cardiothoracic surgeries.  Large bone, neurosurgical,  spinal and cardiothoracic
powered   instruments   are  sold  primarily  to  hospitals   while  small  bone
arthroscopic,  otolaryngological and oral/maxillofacial  powered instruments are
sold to hospitals,  outpatient  facilities and physicians'  offices.  Our CONMED
Linvatec subsidiary has devoted significant  resources in the development of new
technologies for large bone, small bone, arthroscopic,  neurosurgical, spine and
otolaryngological  instruments  which may be easily adapted and modified for new
procedures.

      Our powered instruments product line also includes the PowerPro(R) Battery
System. This full function  orthopedic power system is specifically  designed to
meet the requirements of most orthopedic  applications.  The PowerPro(R) Battery
System  has a  SureCharge(TM)  option  which  allows the user to  sterilize  the
battery  before  charging.  This ensures that the battery will be fully  charged
when  delivered  to the  operating  room,  unlike  competitive  battery  systems
currently  available on the market.  The PowerPro(R) uses a proprietary  process
for maintaining  sterility  during  charging,  thus avoiding the loss of battery
charge  during  sterilization,  which  frequently  results in competing  battery
systems.



- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                         Powered Surgical Instruments
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Product                                               Description                        Brand Name
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                   
                                                                                         Hall(R) Surgical
Large Bone                       Powered saws, drills and related disposable             MaxiDriver(TM)
                                 accessories for use primarily in total knee and hip     VersiPower(R) Plus
                                 joint replacements and trauma surgical procedures.      Series 4(R)
                                                                                         PowerPro(R)
                                                                                         Advantage(R)
                                                                                         SureCharge(R)

Small Bone                       Powered saws, drills and related disposable             Hall(R) Surgical
                                 accessories for small bone and joint related surgical   E9000(R)
                                 procedures.                                             MiniDriver(TM)
                                                                                         MicroChoice(R)
                                                                                         Micro 100(TM)
                                                                                         Advantage(R)

Otolaryngology                   Specialty powered saws, drills and related disposable   Hall(R) Surgical
Neurosurgery                     accessories for use in neurosurgery, spine, and         E9000(R)
Spine                            otolaryngologic procedures.                             UltraPower(R)
                                                                                         Hall Osteon(R)
                                                                                         Hall Ototome(R)

Cardiothoracic                   Powered sternum saws, drills, and related disposable    Hall(R) Surgical
Oral/maxillofacial               accessories for use by cardiothoracic and               E9000(R)
                                 oral/maxillofacial surgeons.                            UltraPower(R)
                                                                                         Micro 100TM
                                                                                         VersiPower(R) Plus
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



                                      -9-


Electrosurgery

      Electrosurgery  is a technique of using  high-frequency  electrical energy
which, when applied to tissues through special  instruments,  may be used to cut
or  coagulate  tissues.  Radio  frequency  ("RF") is the form of  high-frequency
electrical energy used in electrosurgery.  An electrosurgical system consists of
a generator,  an active electrode in the form of an electrosurgical  pencil used
to apply  concentrated  energy from the  generator  to the target  tissues and a
ground pad which returns the energy safely to the generator.  Electrosurgery  is
routinely  used in most  forms  of  surgery,  including  general,  dermatologic,
thoracic,  orthopedic,  urologic,  neurosurgical,  gynecological,  laparoscopic,
arthroscopic and endoscopic procedures.

      Our electrosurgical  products include  electrosurgical  pencils and active
electrodes, ground pads, generators, the Argon-Beam Coagulation system (ABC(R)),
and  related  disposable  products.  ABC(R)  technology  is a special  method of
electrosurgery,  which  produces a faster and more  superficial  coagulation  of
tissues  as  compared  to  conventional   electrosurgery.   Unlike  conventional
electrosurgery, the electrical energy travels through an ionized column of argon
gas,  allowing the energy to be applied to the bleeding  tissues in a completely
non-contact  mode.  Clinicians  have  reported  notable  benefits of ABC(R) over
traditional   electrosurgical   coagulation  in  certain  clinical   situations,
including open-heart, liver, oncology and trauma surgery.



- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                Electrosurgery
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Product                                           Description                            Brand Name
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                   
Pencils                      Disposable and reusable surgical instruments designed       Hand-Trol(R)
                             to deliver high-frequency electrical energy to cut          GoldLine(TM)
                             and/or coagulate tissue.                                    ClearVac(R)

Ground Pads                  Disposable ground pads which disperse electrosurgical       MacroLyte(R)
                             energy and safely return it to the generator;               ThermoGard(R)
                             available in adult, pediatric and infant sizes.             SureFit(TM)
                                                                                         DiaTemp(TM)

Active Electrodes            Surgical accessory electrodes with                          UltraClean(R)
                             and without the proprietory UltraClean(TM)                  Stealth(R)
                             coating which provides an easy to clean electrode
                             surface during surgery.

Generators                   Monopolar and bipolar clinical energy sources for           EXCALIBUR Plus PC(R)
                             surgical procedures performed in a hospital,                SABRE(R)
                             physicians' office or clinical setting.                     System 5000(TM)
                                                                                         System 2500(TM)
                                                                                         Hyfrecator(R) 2000

Argon Beam                   Specialized electrosurgical generators, disposable          ABC(R)
Coagulation Systems          hand pieces and ground pads for Argon Enhanced              Beamer Plus(R)
                             non-contact coagulation of tissues.                         System 7500(R)
                                                                                         ABC Flex(R)
                                                                                         Bend-A-Beam(R)
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



                                      -10-


Patient Care

      We  manufacture  a variety of patient care  products for use in monitoring
cardiac  rhythms,  wound care management and intravenous  ("IV") therapy.  These
products  include  ECG  electrodes  and cables,  wound  dressings  and  catheter
stabilization  dressings. Our patient care product line also includes disposable
surgical suction instruments and connecting tubing.  Sales are primarily derived
from the  distribution  of ECG  electrodes,  surgical  suction  instruments  and
tubing. Although wound management and IV therapy product sales are comparatively
small,  the application of these products in the operating room  complements our
surgical product offerings.

      In January 2004, we announced an agreement with Dolphin  Medical,  Inc., a
subsidiary  of OSI  Systems,  Inc.,  under which we became the  exclusive  North
American distributor for a full line of Dolphin(R) pulse oximetry products.



- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                    Patient Care
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Product                                               Description                        Brand Name
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                   
ECG Monitoring                   Line of disposable electrodes,                          CONMED(R)
                                 monitoring cables, lead wire products and               Ultratrace(R)
                                 accessories designed to transmit ECG signals            Cleartrace(R)
                                 from the heart to an ECG monitor or recorder.

Wound Care                       Disposable transparent wound dressings                  ClearSite(R)
                                 comprising proprietary hydrogel; able to absorb         Hydrogauze(TM)
                                 2 1/2 times its weight in wound exudate.

Patient Positioners              Products which properly and safely                      Airsoft(R)
                                 position patients while in surgery.

Surgical Suction                 Disposable surgical suction instruments and             CONMED(R)
Instruments and                  connecting tubing, including Yankauer, Poole,
Tubing                           Frazier  and Sigmoidoscopic instrumentation,
                                 for use by physicians in the majority of open
                                 surgical procedures.

Intravenous Therapy              Disposable IV drip rate gravity                         VENI-GARD(R)
                                 controller and disposable catheter                      MasterFlow(R)
                                 stabilization dressing designed to hold and             Stat 2(R)
                                 secure an IV needle or catheter for use in IV
                                 therapy.

Defibrillator Pads               Stimulation electrodes for use in emergency cardiac     PadPro(R)
and Accessories                  response and conduction studies of the heart.

Pulse Oximetry                   Used in critical care to continuously                   Dolphin(R)
                                 monitor a patient's arterial blood oxygen               (a registered
                                 saturation and pulse rate.                              trademark of
                                                                                         Dolphin Medical,
                                                                                         Inc.)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



                                      -11-


Endosurgery

      Endoscopic  surgery  (also  referred  to as  Endosurgery  or  Laparoscopic
surgery) is surgery performed without a major incision.  This surgical specialty
results in less trauma for the patient and produces  important cost savings as a
result of shorter recovery times and reduced hospitalization. Endoscopic surgery
is performed on organs in the abdominal cavity such as the gallbladder, appendix
and female reproductive organs. During such procedures, devices called "trocars"
are used to puncture the abdominal wall and are then removed, leaving in place a
trocar cannula.  The trocar cannula  provides access into the abdomen for camera
systems and  surgical  instruments.  Some of our  endosurgical  instruments  are
"reposable",  meaning  that  the  instrument  has a  disposable  and a  reusable
component.

      Our  Endosurgical  products  include the Reflex(R) clip applier for vessel
and duct ligation,  Universal S/ITM  (suction/irrigation) and Universal Plus(TM)
laparoscopic   instruments,   specialized   suction/irrigation   electrosurgical
instrument  systems for use in laparoscopic  surgery and the TroGard  Finesse(R)
which  incorporates a blunt-tipped  version of a trocar.  The TroGard Finesse(R)
dilates access through the body wall rather than cutting with the sharp, pointed
tips of  conventional  trocars  thus  resulting  in  smaller  wounds,  and  less
bleeding.  We  also  offer  cutting  trocars,   suction/irrigation  accessories,
laparoscopic scissors,  active electrodes,  insufflation needles, linear cutters
and  staplers,  and  ABC(R)  handpieces  for use in  laparoscopic  surgery.  Our
disposable  skin staplers are used to close large skin  incisions  with surgical
staples, thus eliminating the time consuming suturing process.



- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                Endosurgery
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Product                                            Description                    Brand Name
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                            
Trocars                          Disposable and reposable devices used to         TroGard Finesse(R)
                                 puncture the abdominal wall providing access     Reflex(R)
                                 to the abdominal cavity for camera systems and   Detach a Port(R)
                                 instruments.                                     OnePort(R)

Multi-functional                 Instruments for cutting and coagulating tissue   Universal(TM)
Electrosurgery and               by delivering high-frequency current.            Universal Plus(TM)
Suction/Irrigation               Instruments which deliver irrigating fluid to    FloVac(R)
instruments                      the tissue and remove blood and fluids from
                                 the internal operating field.

Clip Appliers                    Disposable and reposable devices for             Reflex(R)
                                 ligating blood vessels and ducts by placing a    PermaClip(TM)
                                 titanium clip on the vessel.

Laparoscopic                     Scissors, graspers                               DetachaTip(R)
Instruments

Skin Staplers                    Disposable devices which place                   Reflex(R)
                                 surgical staples for closing a
                                 surgical incision.



                                      -12-




- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                Endosurgery
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Product                                            Description                    Brand Name
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                            
Microlaparoscopy                 Small laparoscopes and instruments for           MicroLap(R)
scopes and                       performing surgery through very small
instruments                      incisions.
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Endoscopic Technologies

      Gastrointestinal  (GI) endoscopy is the examination of the digestive tract
with  a  flexible,  lighted  instrument  referred  to  as an  "endoscope".  This
instrument enables the physician to directly  visualize the esophagus,  stomach,
portions of the small intestine, and colon. This technology allows the physician
to more accurately diagnose and treat diseases of the digestive system.  Through
these scopes a physician may take biopsies, dilate narrowed areas referred to as
strictures,  and remove polyps which are growths in the digestive tract. Some of
the more  common  conditions  which may be  diagnosed  and  treated  using  this
procedure  include  gastro-esophageal  reflux disease  (GERD),  ulcers,  Crohn's
disease, ulcerative colitis and gallbladder disease.

      We  offer  a  comprehensive  line of  minimally  invasive  diagnostic  and
therapeutic  products used in conjunction with procedures which require flexible
endoscopy.  Our principal  customers  include GI  endoscopists,  pulmonologists,
surgeons,  and nurses which perform both diagnostic and  therapeutic  endoscopic
procedures in hospitals and outpatient clinics.

      Our primary focus is to identify, develop, acquire, manufacture and market
differentiated  medical  devices,  which  improve  outcomes in the diagnosis and
treatment of  gastrointestinal  and  pulmonary  disorders.  Our  diagnostic  and
therapeutic   product   offerings  for  GI  and  pulmonology   include  forceps,
accessories,  bronchoscopy devices, dilatation, hemostasis, biliary devices, and
polypectomy.



- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                      Endoscopic Technologies
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Product                                     Description                                Brand Name
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                 
Pulmonary              Transbronchial Cytology and Histology Aspiration                WANG(TM)
                       Needles, Disposable Biopsy Forceps, Cytology Brushes,           Blue Bullet(R)
                       and Bronchoscope Cleaning Brushes                               Precisor BRONCHO(R)
                                                                                       GARG(TM)

Biopsy                 Disposable biopsy forceps, Percutaneous Liver Biopsy            Precisor(R)
                       instrument, Disposable Cytology Brushes                         HepaCore(TM)

Polypectomy            Disposable Polypectomy Snares                                   Singular(R)
                                                                                       Optimizer(R)



                                      -13-




- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                      Endoscopic Technologies
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Product                                     Description                                Brand Name
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                 
Biliary                Triple Lumen Stone Removal Balloons, Advanced                   Apollo(TM)
                       Cannulation Triple Lumen Papillotomes, High                     Apollo3(TM)
                       Performance Biliary Guidewires, Cannulas, Biliary               Apollo3AC(TM)
                       Balloon Dilators, Plastic and Metal Endoscopic                  XWire(TM)
                       Biliary Stents                                                  DirecXion(TM)
                                                                                       Director(TM)
                                                                                       Duraglide(TM)
                                                                                       Duraglide 3(TM)
                                                                                       ProForma(R)
                                                                                       HYDRODUCT(R)

Dilation               Multi-Stage Balloon Dilators, American Dilation System          Eliminator(R)

Hemostasis             Endoscopic Injection Needles, Endoscope Ligator,                SureShot(R)
                       Multiple Band Ligator, Sclerotherapy Needle, Bipolar            Stiegmann-Goff(TM)
                       Hemostasis Probes                                               Bandito(TM)
                                                                                       RapidFire(R)
                                                                                       Flexitip(TM)
                                                                                       BICAP(R)

Accessories            Disposable Bite Blocks, Cleaning Brushes                        Scope Saver(TM)
                                                                                       Channel Master(TM)
                                                                                       Blue Bullet(R)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Marketing

      A  significant  portion  of  our  products  are  distributed  domestically
directly to more than 6,000 hospitals and other healthcare  institutions as well
as through medical specialty  distributors and surgeons. We are not dependent on
any single  customer and no single  customer  accounted for more than 10% of our
net sales in 2002, 2003 and 2004.

      A significant  portion of our U.S. sales are to customers  affiliated with
GPOs,  IHNs and other large  national or  regional  accounts,  as well as to the
Veterans  Administration and other hospitals operated by the Federal government.
For hospital  inventory  management  purposes,  some of our customers  prefer to
purchase  our  products   through   independent   third-party   medical  product
distributors.

      In order to provide a high level of expertise  to the medical  specialties
we serve, our domestic sales force consists of the following:

o     230  sales  representatives   selling  arthroscopy  and  powered  surgical
      instrument products employed by independent sales agent groups;

o     60 employee sales representatives selling electrosurgery products;

o     30 employee sales representatives selling endosurgery products;

o     30 employee sales representatives selling patient care products;

o     50  employee  sales   representatives   selling  endoscopic   technologies
      products.

      Each employee sales  representative is assigned a defined  geographic area
and  compensated  on a commission  basis or through a combination  of salary and


                                      -14-


commission. The sales force is supervised and supported by either area directors
or district  managers.  Sales agent groups are used in the United States to sell
our  arthroscopy,  multi-specialty  medical video  systems and powered  surgical
instrument  products.  These sales agent groups are paid a commission  for sales
made to customers while home office sales and marketing  management  provide the
overall direction for sales of our products.

      Our Corporate sales organization is responsible for interacting with large
regional and national  accounts (eg. GPOs, IHNs, IDNs,  etc.). We have contracts
with many such organizations and believe that, with certain exceptions, the lack
of any  individual  group  purchasing  contract  will not  adversely  impact our
competitiveness in the marketplace.  In addition, all of our sales professionals
are required to work closely with  distributors  where  applicable  and maintain
close relationships with end-users.

      The sale of our products is accompanied by initial and ongoing  in-service
end-user  training.  Each  of  our  dedicated  sales  professionals  are  highly
knowledgeable in the applications and procedures for the products they sell. Our
sales  professionals,  in turn,  provide  surgeons  and medical  personnel  with
information relating to the technical features and benefits of our products.

      Maintaining  and  expanding  our  international  presence is an  important
component  of our  long-term  growth  plan.  Our  products  are sold in over 100
foreign  countries.  International  sales efforts are coordinated  through local
country  dealers or through direct in country sales.  We distribute our products
through  sales  subsidiaries  and branches  with offices  located in  Australia,
Austria,  Belgium,  Canada, France, Germany, Korea, the Netherlands,  Spain, and
the United Kingdom.  In these countries,  our sales are denominated in the local
currency.  In the  remaining  countries  where  our  products  are sold  through
independent distributors, sales are denominated in United States dollars.

      We  sell  to a  diversified  base  of  customers  around  the  world  and,
therefore, believe there is no material concentration of credit risk.

Manufacturing

      We  manufacture  substantially  all of our products and assemble them from
components  we  produce.  Our  strategy  has  historically  been  to  vertically
integrate  our  manufacturing   facilities  in  order  to  develop   competitive
advantage.  This  integration  provides  us with  cost  efficient  and  flexible
manufacturing  operations which permit us to allocate capital more  efficiently.
Additionally,  we attempt to exploit  commercial  synergies between  operations,
such  as the  procurement  of  common  raw  materials  and  components  used  in
production.

      Raw material  costs  constitute a substantial  portion of our cash cost of
production.  We use  numerous  raw  materials  and  components  in  the  design,
development  and  manufacturing  of our products.  Substantially  all of our raw
materials and select components used in the  manufacturing  process are procured
from  external  suppliers.  We work  closely with  multiple  suppliers to ensure
continuity of supply while maintaining high quality and reliability. None of our
critical raw  materials  and  components  are procured  from single  sources for
reasons of quality assurance,  sole source  availability,  cost effectiveness or
constraints  resulting from  regulatory  requirements.  The loss of any existing
supplier or supplier  contract  would not have a material  adverse effect on our
financial and  operational  performance.  To date, we have not  experienced  any
protracted  interruption  in the


                                      -15-


availability  of raw materials and  components  necessary to fulfill  production
schedules or substantial increases in their costs.

      All  of  our  products  are  classified  as  medical  devices  subject  to
regulation by numerous  agencies and  legislative  bodies,  including the United
States Food and Drug  Administration  ("FDA")  and  comparable  foreign  counter
parts. The FDA's Quality System  Regulations set forth standards for our product
design and manufacturing  processes,  require the maintenance of certain records
and provide for on-site inspections of our facilities by the FDA. In many of the
foreign  countries in which we  manufacture  and  distribute our products we are
subject to  regulatory  requirements  affecting,  among  other  things,  product
standards,  packaging  requirements,  labeling  requirements  and  import  laws.
Regulatory  requirements affecting the Company vary from country to country. The
timeframes  for  regulatory  submission  and approval  from foreign  agencies or
legislative bodies may vary from those required by the FDA. Certain requirements
for approval from foreign  agencies or  legislative  bodies may also differ from
those of the FDA .

      We believe that our  production  and  inventory  management  practices are
characteristic of those in the medical device industry. Substantially all of our
products  are  stocked  in  inventory  and  are not  manufactured  to  order  or
individual customer specifications. We schedule production and maintain adequate
levels  of safety  stock  based on a number of  factors  including,  experience,
knowledge of customer ordering  patterns,  demand,  manufacturing lead times and
optimal  quantities  required to maintain the highest  possible  service levels.
Customer  orders are generally  processed for immediate  shipment and backlog of
firm orders is therefore  not  considered  material to an  understanding  of our
business.

Research and Development

      New and improved  products  play a critical  role in our  continued  sales
growth.  Internal  research and development  efforts focus on the development of
new  products  and  product  technological  and  design  improvements  aimed  at
complementing  and expanding  existing  product lines.  We  continually  seek to
leverage  new  technologies  which  improve  the  durability,   performance  and
usability  of  existing  products.   In  addition,  we  maintain  close  working
relationships  with  surgeons,  inventors and operating room personnel who often
make new product and technology  disclosures,  principally in procedure-specific
areas. For clinical and commercially  promising  disclosures,  we seek to obtain
rights to these ideas through negotiated  agreements.  Such agreements typically
compensate the originator  through  royalty  payments based upon a percentage of
licensed  product net sales.  Royalty expense  approximated  $2.9 million,  $3.5
million and $3.8 million in 2002, 2003 and 2004, respectively.

      Amounts  expended  for Company  sponsored  research  and  development  was
approximately $16.1 million,  $17.3 million and $20.2 million during 2002, 2003,
and 2004, respectively.

      We have rights to  significant  intellectual  property,  including  United
States  patents and foreign  equivalent  patents which cover a wide range of our
products.   We  own  a  majority  of  these  patents  and  have   exclusive  and
non-exclusive licensing rights to the remainder.  In addition,  certain of these
patents have currently been licensed to third parties on a non-exclusive  basis.
We believe that the  development  of new products and  technological  and design
improvements to existing  products will continue to be of primary  importance in
maintaining our competitive position.


                                      -16-


Competition

      The  market  for our  products  is highly  competitive  and our  customers
generally have numerous  alternatives of supply. Many of our competitors offer a
range of products in areas other than those in which we compete,  which may make
such  competitors  more  attractive  to surgeons,  hospitals,  group  purchasing
organizations  and others.  In addition,  several of our  competitors are large,
technically-competent firms with substantial assets.

      The following  chart  identifies our principal  competitors in each of our
key business areas:

      Business Area                Competitor
      -------------                ----------

      Arthroscopy                  Smith & Nephew, plc
                                   Arthrex, Inc.
                                   Stryker Corporation
                                   ArthroCare Corporation
                                   Johnson & Johnson; Mitek Worldwide

      Powered Surgical             Stryker Corporation
      Instruments                  Medtronic, Inc. Midas Rex and Xomed divisions
                                   The Anspach Effort, Inc.
                                   MicroAire Surgical Instruments, LLC


      Electrosurgery               Tyco International Ltd.; Valleylab
                                   3M Company
                                   ERBE Elektromedizin GmbH

      Patient Care                 Tyco International Ltd.; Kendall
                                   3M Company

      Endosurgery                  Johnson & Johnson; Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc.
                                   Tyco International Ltd.; U.S.Surgical

      Endoscopic Technologies      Boston Scientific Corporation - Endoscopy
                                   Wilson-Cook Medical, Inc.
                                   Olympus America, Inc.
                                   U.S. Endoscopy

      Factors  which affect our  competitive  posture  include  product  design,
customer  acceptance,  service and  delivery  capabilities,  pricing and product
development/improvement.  In the future,  other alternatives such as new medical
procedures or  pharmaceuticals  may become  interchangeable  alternatives to our
products.

Government Regulation and Quality Systems

      Substantially  all of our  products  are  classified  as  medical  devices
subject to regulation by numerous agencies and legislative bodies, including the
FDA  and  comparable  foreign  counter  parts.   Authorization  to  commercially
distribute  our  products  in the U.S.  is granted by the FDA under a  procedure
referred  to as 510(k)  premarket  notification.  This  process  requires  us to
demonstrate  that  our new  product,  line  extension  or  modified  product  is
substantially  equivalent to a


                                      -17-


legally  marketed  device  which was on the market  prior to May 28,  1976 or is
currently  on  the  U.S.  market  and  does  not  require  premarket   approval.
Substantially  all of our  products  have been  classified  as either Class I or
Class II devices  with the FDA,  indicating  that they are subject to the 510(k)
premarketing notification clearance as discussed above and must continually meet
certain FDA standards (Our products are classified as Class I, II and III in the
European  Union (EU) and subject to regulation by our European  Notified  Body).
None of our  medical  devices  are  included  in a  category  for  which the FDA
requires a  premarket  approval  whereby we would be tasked  with  independently
demonstrating  from  clinical  data  that  our new  medical  device  is safe and
effective. Our FDA clearance is subject to continual review and future discovery
of  previously  unknown  events could result in  restrictions  being placed on a
product's  marketing or  notification  from the FDA to halt the  distribution of
certain medical devices. Products marketed in the EU and other countries require
preparation of technical  files and dossiers which  demonstrate  compliance with
applicable local regulations.

      Our operations have quality  assurance/regulatory  compliance groups which
have been tasked with  monitoring  compliance  with  design  specifications  and
relevant government  regulations for all of our products and quality systems. We
and  substantially  all of our  products  are subject to the  provisions  of the
Federal Food,  Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938,  as amended by the Medical  Device
Amendments  of  1976,   Safe  Medical   Device  Act  of  1990,   Medical  Device
Modernization  Act of 1997,  Medical User Fee and  Modernization Act of 2002 and
similar  international  regulations,  such as the European  Union Medical Device
Directives.

      As a manufacturer of medical devices, the FDA's Quality System Regulations
as specified in Title 21, Code of Federal  Regulation  (CFR) part 820, set forth
standards  for our  product  design and  manufacturing  processes,  require  the
maintenance of certain records, provide for on-site inspection of our facilities
and  continuing  review by the FDA.  Many of our  products  are also  subject to
industry-defined   standards.   Such  industry-defined   product  standards  are
generally  formulated by committees of the  Association  for the  Advancement of
Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), International  Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
and the International  Organization for  Standardization  (ISO). We believe that
our products presently meet applicable standards in all material respects.

      We market our products in several  foreign  countries  and  therefore  are
subject  to  regulations  affecting,  among  other  things,  product  standards,
packaging  requirements,  labeling  requirements  and import  laws.  Many of the
regulations  applicable  to our devices  and  products  in these  countries  are
similar to those of the FDA. The member  countries  of the  European  Union have
adopted the European  Medical  Device  Directives,  which create a single set of
medical device regulations for all member countries.  These regulations  require
companies  that  wish to  manufacture  and  distribute  medical  devices  in the
European Union  maintain  quality system  certification  through  European Union
recognized  Notified  Bodies.  These Notified Bodies authorize the use of the CE
Mark  allowing free movement of our products  throughout  the member  countries.
Requirements  pertaining  to our  products  vary widely from country to country,
ranging from simple product  registrations to detailed submissions such as those
required by the FDA. We believe  that our  products  currently  meet  applicable
standards for the countries in which they are marketed.

      Our products may become subject to recall or market withdrawal regulations
and we have made  product  recalls  in the past.  No  product  recall  has had a
material  effect on our financial  condition or results of  operations,  however
there  can be no


                                      -18-


assurance that regulatory  issues will not have a material adverse effect in the
future.

      Any change in existing federal, state, foreign laws or regulations,  or in
the interpretation or enforcement thereof, or the promulgation or any additional
laws or  regulations  may result in a material  adverse  effect on our financial
condition or results of operations.

Employees

      As of December 31, 2004, we had approximately  2,830 full-time  employees,
including more than 1,893 in operations,  136 in research and  development,  and
the remaining in sales, marketing and related administrative support. We believe
that we have good  relations  with our  employees  and have never  experienced a
strike or similar work  stoppage.  None of our  employees are  represented  by a
labor union.

Risk Factors

      An  investment  in our  common  stock  involves  a high  degree  of  risk.
Investors should carefully consider the specific factors set forth below as well
as the other  information  included or  incorporated  by  reference in this Form
10-K. See "Forward Looking Statements".

      Our  financial  performance  is  subject  to  the  risks  inherent  in our
      acquisition  strategy,  including  the effects of increased  borrowing and
      integration of newly acquired businesses or product lines.

      A key  element  of our  business  strategy  has  been  to  expand  through
      acquisitions  and we may seek to  pursue  additional  acquisitions  in the
      future.  Our success is  dependent  in part upon our ability to  integrate
      acquired companies or product lines into our existing  operations.  We may
      not have  sufficient  management  and other  resources to  accomplish  the
      integration  of our past and  future  acquisitions  and  implementing  our
      acquisition   strategy  may  strain  our   relationship   with  customers,
      suppliers,  distributors,  manufacturing personnel or others. There can be
      no  assurance  that we will be able to identify and make  acquisitions  on
      acceptable  terms  or that we will be able to  obtain  financing  for such
      acquisitions  on  acceptable  terms.  In addition,  while we are generally
      entitled to customary  indemnification  from sellers of businesses for any
      difficulties  that  may  have  arisen  prior  to our  acquisition  of each
      business, acquisitions may involve exposure to unknown liabilities and the
      amount and time for claiming  under these  indemnification  provisions  is
      often  limited.  As a result,  our financial  performance  is now and will
      continue to be subject to various risks associated with the acquisition of
      businesses,  including the financial effects associated with any increased
      borrowing  required to fund such  acquisitions  or with the integration of
      such businesses.

      Failure to comply  with  regulatory  requirements  may result in  recalls,
      fines or materially adverse implications.

      All  of  our  products  are  classified  as  medical  devices  subject  to
      regulation  by  the  FDA.  As  a  manufacturer  of  medical  devices,  our
      manufacturing  processes and facilities are subject to on-site  inspection
      and continuing  review by the FDA for  compliance  with the Quality System
      Regulations.  Manufacturing  and sales of our products  outside the United
      States are also


                                      -19-


      subject  to foreign  regulatory  requirements  which vary from  country to
      country.   Moreover,  we  are  generally  required  to  obtain  regulatory
      clearance or approval prior to marketing a new product.  The time required
      to obtain  approvals from foreign  countries may be longer or shorter than
      that required for FDA approval, and requirements for foreign approvals may
      differ from FDA requirements.  Failure to comply with applicable  domestic
      and/or foreign regulatory requirements may result in:

      o     fines or other enforcement actions;

      o     recall or seizure of products;

      o     total or partial suspension of production;

      o     withdrawal of existing product approvals or clearances;

      o     refusal to approve or clear new applications or notices;

      o     increased quality control costs; or

      o     criminal prosecution.

      Failure to comply with Quality System  Regulations and applicable  foreign
      regulations  could result in a material  adverse  effect on our  business,
      financial condition or results of operations.

      If we are not able to manufacture  products in compliance  with regulatory
      standards, we may decide to cease manufacture of those products and may be
      subject to product recall.

      In addition to the Quality  System  Regulations,  many of our products are
      also subject to industry-defined  standards.  We may not be able to comply
      with these  regulations  and  standards due to  deficiencies  in component
      parts or our  manufacturing  processes.  If we are not able to comply with
      the Quality System Regulations or industry-defined  standards,  we may not
      be able to fill customer  orders and we may decide to cease  production of
      non-compliant  products.  Failure to  produce  products  could  affect our
      profit margins and could lead to loss of customers.

      Our  products  are  subject  to product  recall  and we have made  product
      recalls in the past.  Although no recall has had a material adverse effect
      on our business,  financial condition or results of operations,  we cannot
      assure you that regulatory  issues will not have a material adverse effect
      in the future or that product recalls will not harm our reputation and our
      customer relationships.

      The highly  competitive market for our products may create adverse pricing
      pressures.

      The market for our products is highly  competitive  and our customers have
      numerous  alternatives of supply. Many of our competitors offer a range of
      products  in areas  other than those in which we  compete,  which may make
      such competitors more attractive to surgeons,  hospitals, group purchasing
      organizations  and others.  In addition,  several of our  competitors  are
      large,  technically-competent  firms with substantial assets.  Competitive
      pricing  pressures or the  introduction of new products by our competitors
      could have an adverse  effect on our  revenues.  See  "Competition"  for a
      further discussion of these competitive forces.


                                      -20-


      Factors which may influence our customers'  choice of competitor  products
      include:

      o     changes in surgeon preferences;

      o     increases or decreases  in health care  spending  related to medical
            devices;

      o     our  inability  to supply  products to them,  as a result of product
            recall, market withdrawal or back-order;

      o     the  introduction  by competitors of new products or new features to
            existing products;

      o     the introduction by competitors of alternative  surgical technology;
            and

      o     advances in surgical procedures,  discoveries or developments in the
            health care industry.

      Cost reduction  efforts in the health care industry could put pressures on
      our prices and margins.

      In recent years, the health care industry has undergone significant change
      driven by various efforts to reduce costs.  Such efforts include  national
      health  care  reform,  trends  towards  managed  care,  cuts in  Medicare,
      consolidation  of  health  care  distribution   companies  and  collective
      purchasing  arrangements  by GPOs and  IHNs.  Demand  and  prices  for our
      products may be adversely affected by such trends.

      We  may  not  be  able  to  keep  pace  with  technological  change  or to
      successfully develop new products with wide market acceptance, which could
      cause us to lose business to competitors.

      The  market  for  our  products  is   characterized  by  rapidly  changing
      technology.  Our future  financial  performance will depend in part on our
      ability to develop and manufacture new products on a cost-effective basis,
      to  introduce  them to the  market  on a timely  basis,  and to have  them
      accepted by surgeons.

      We may not be able to keep pace with  technology or to develop  viable new
      products.  Factors which may result in delays of new product introductions
      or  cancellation  of our plans to  manufacture  and  market  new  products
      include:

      o     capital constraints;

      o     research and development delays;

      o     delays in securing regulatory approvals; or

      o     changes in the  competitive  landscape,  including  the emergence of
            alternative  products or solutions  which  reduce or  eliminate  the
            markets for pending products.

      Our new products may fail to achieve expected levels of market acceptance.

      New  product  introductions  may fail to achieve  market  acceptance.  The
      degree of market  acceptance  for any of our  products  will depend upon a
      number of factors, including:

      o     our  ability to develop  and  introduce  new  products  and  product
            enhancements in the time frames we currently estimate;

      o     our ability to successfully implement new technologies;

      o     the market's readiness to accept new products;


                                      -21-


      o     having  adequate  financial and  technological  resources for future
            product development and promotion;

      o     the efficacy of our products; and

      o     the  prices  of  our   products   compared  to  the  prices  of  our
            competitors' products.

      If our new products do not achieve market acceptance,  we may be unable to
      recover our investments and may lose business to competitors.

      In  addition,  some of the  companies  with  which we now  compete  or may
      compete in the future have or may have more extensive research,  marketing
      and  manufacturing  capabilities and  significantly  greater technical and
      personnel  resources than we do, and may be better  positioned to continue
      to improve their  technology in order to compete in an evolving  industry.
      See "Competition" for a further discussion of these competitive forces.

      Our  Senior  credit  agreement  contains  covenants  which  may  limit our
      flexibility or prevent us from taking actions.

      Our Senior credit  agreement  contains,  and future credit  facilities are
      expected to contain,  certain restrictive covenants which will affect, and
      in many respects significantly limit or prohibit,  among other things, our
      ability to:

      o     incur indebtedness;

      o     make investments;

      o     engage in transactions with affiliates;

      o     pay  dividends  or  make  other   distributions  on,  or  redeem  or
            repurchase, capital stock;

      o     sell assets; and

      o     pursue acquisitions.

      These covenants, unless waived, may prevent us from pursuing acquisitions,
      significantly limit our operating and financial  flexibility and limit our
      ability to respond to changes in our business or  competitive  activities.
      Our  ability to comply  with such  provisions  may be  affected  by events
      beyond  our  control.  In  the  event  of any  default  under  our  credit
      agreement,  the credit agreement  lenders may elect to declare all amounts
      borrowed under our credit agreement, together with accrued interest, to be
      due and payable.  If we were unable to repay such  borrowings,  the credit
      agreement  lenders could proceed  against  collateral  securing the credit
      agreement, which consists of substantially all of our property and assets,
      except for our accounts  receivable  and related  rights which are sold in
      connection with the accounts receivable sales agreement. See "Management's
      Discussion   and   Analysis  of   Financial   Condition   and  Results  of
      Operations--Liquidity  and  Capital  Resources"  for a  discussion  of the
      accounts receivable sales agreement.  Our credit agreement also contains a
      material  adverse  effect  clause  which may limit our  ability  to access
      additional  funding under our credit  agreement  should a material adverse
      change in our business occur.

      Our substantial  leverage and debt service  requirements may require us to
      adopt alternative business strategies.

      We have  indebtedness that is substantial in relation to our shareholders'
      equity,  as well as  interest  and  debt  service  requirements  that  are


                                      -22-


      significant compared to our cash flow from operations.  As of December 31,
      2004, we had $294.5 million of debt outstanding, representing 40% of total
      capitalization  and which does not  include  the $49  million of  accounts
      receivable  sold  under  the  accounts  receivable  sales  agreement.  See
      "Management's  Discussion and Analysis of Financial  Condition and Results
      of Operations--Liquidity and Capital Resources".

      The degree to which we are leveraged could have important  consequences to
      investors, including but not limited to the following:

      o     a  substantial  portion  of our cash  flow from  operations  must be
            dedicated to debt service and will not be available for  operations,
            capital expenditures, acquisitions, dividends and other purposes;

      o     our ability to obtain additional financing in the future for working
            capital,  capital  expenditures,  acquisitions or general  corporate
            purposes  may be limited or impaired,  or may be at higher  interest
            rates;

      o     we may be at a competitive disadvantage when compared to competitors
            that are less leveraged;

      o     we may be  hindered  in our  ability  to  adjust  rapidly  to market
            conditions;

      o     our degree of leverage could make us more vulnerable in the event of
            a  downturn  in  general   economic   conditions  or  other  adverse
            circumstances applicable to us; and

      o     our interest  expense  could  increase if interest  rates in general
            increase  because most of our  borrowings,  including our borrowings
            under our credit agreement,  are and will continue to be at variable
            rates of interest.

      We  may  not  be  able  to  generate   sufficient   cash  to  service  our
      indebtedness,  which  could  require us to reduce our  expenditures,  sell
      assets, restructure our indebtedness or seek additional equity capital.

      Our  ability  to  satisfy  our  obligations  will  depend  upon our future
      operating  performance,  which will be  affected  by  prevailing  economic
      conditions  and financial,  business and other factors,  many of which are
      beyond our  control.  We may not have  sufficient  cash flow  available to
      enable  us to meet  our  obligations.  If we are  unable  to  service  our
      indebtedness,  we will be forced to adopt an alternative strategy that may
      include  actions  such as  foregoing  acquisitions,  reducing  or delaying
      capital  expenditures,  selling assets,  restructuring  or refinancing our
      indebtedness or seeking  additional  equity capital.  We cannot assure you
      that any of these  strategies  could be implemented on terms acceptable to
      us, if at all.  See  "Management's  Discussion  and  Analysis of Financial
      Condition and Results of Operations - Liquidity and Capital Resources" for
      a discussion of our indebtedness and its implications.

      We may be unable to continue to sell our accounts receivable,  which could
      require us to seek alternative sources of financing.

      Under  our  accounts   receivable  sales  agreement,   there  are  certain
      statistical  ratios  which  must be  maintained  relating  to the  pool of
      receivables in order for us to continue  selling to the  purchaser.  These
      ratios relate to sales dilution and losses on accounts receivable.  If new
      accounts  receivable  arising  in the  normal  course of  business  do not
      qualify  for  sale or the  purchaser  otherwise  ceases  to  purchase  our
      receivables,  we may  require  access  to  alternate  sources  of  working
      capital,  which may be more expensive or difficult to obtain. Our accounts
      receivable  sales  agreement,  as  amended,


                                      -23-


      also requires us to obtain a commitment (the "purchaser  commitment"),  on
      an annual  basis from the  purchaser  to fund the purchase of our accounts
      receivable.  The purchaser  commitment was amended  effective  October 21,
      2004 whereby it was extended for an  additional  year. In the event we are
      unable to renew our purchaser  commitment in the future,  we would need to
      access alternate sources of working capital which may be more expensive or
      difficult to obtain.

      If we infringe third parties'  patents,  or if we lose our patents or they
      are held to be  invalid,  we could  become  subject to  liability  and our
      competitive position could be harmed.

      Much of the technology  used in the markets in which we compete is covered
      by  patents.  We have  numerous  U.S.  patents and  corresponding  foreign
      patents on products  expiring at various  dates from 2005 through 2022 and
      have   additional   patent   applications   pending.   See  "Research  and
      Development"  for a further  description  of our patents.  The loss of our
      patents  could  reduce the value of the related  products  and any related
      competitive  advantage.  Competitors may also be able to design around our
      patents and to compete  effectively  with our products.  In addition,  the
      cost of enforcing  our patents  against  third  parties and  defending our
      products   against  patent   infringement   actions  by  others  could  be
      substantial. We cannot assure you that:

      o     pending patent applications will result in issued patents,

      o     patents  issued  to or  licensed  by us will  not be  challenged  by
            competitors,

      o     our  patents  will be found to be  valid  or  sufficiently  broad to
            protect our  technology or provide us with a competitive  advantage,
            or

      o     we will be successful in defending  against pending or future patent
            infringement claims asserted against our products.

      Ordering  patterns of our customers may change  resulting in reductions in
      sales.

      Our  hospital  and  surgery  center  customers  purchase  our  products in
      quantities  sufficient to meet their  anticipated  demand.  Likewise,  our
      health care  distributor  customers  purchase  our  products  for ultimate
      resale to health  care  providers  in  quantities  sufficient  to meet the
      anticipated   requirements   of  the   distributors'   customers.   Should
      inventories  of our products  owned by our  hospital,  surgery  center and
      distributor  customers grow to levels higher than their requirements,  our
      customers  may reduce the ordering of products  from us. This could result
      in reduced sales during a financial accounting period.

      Our significant  international  operations  subject us to risks associated
      with operating in foreign countries.

      A significant portion of our revenues are derived from foreign sales. As a
      result,  our international  presence exposes us to certain inherent risks,
      including:

      o     devaluations and fluctuations in currency exchange rates;

      o     imposition of limitations on conversions of foreign  currencies into
            dollars  or   remittance   of  dividends   and  other   payments  by
            international subsidiaries;


                                      -24-


      o     imposition or increase of withholding and other taxes on remittances
            and other payments by international subsidiaries;

      o     trade barriers;

      o     political risks, including political instability;

      o     reliance on third parties to distribute our products;

      o     hyperinflation in certain foreign countries; and

      o     imposition  or  increase of  investment  and other  restrictions  by
            foreign governments.

      We cannot  assure you that such  risks  will not have a  material  adverse
      effect on our business and results of operations.

      We can be sued for producing defective products and our insurance coverage
      may be  insufficient  to  cover  the  nature  and  amount  of any  product
      liability claims.

      The  nature of our  products  as medical  devices  and  today's  litigious
      environment   should  be   regarded   as   potential   risks  which  could
      significantly and adversely affect our financial  condition and results of
      operations. The insurance we maintain to protect against claims associated
      with the use of our products have deductibles and may not adequately cover
      the amount or nature of any claim asserted against us. We are also exposed
      to the risk that our  insurers may become  insolvent or that  premiums may
      increase  substantially.  See "Legal Proceedings" for a further discussion
      of the risk of product liability actions and our insurance coverage.

      Damage to our physical  properties as a result of  windstorm,  earthquake,
      fire or other natural or man-made  disaster may cause a financial loss and
      a loss of customers.

      Although  we  maintain  insurance  coverage  for  physical  damage  to our
      property  and the  resultant  losses  that could  occur  during a business
      interruption,  we  are  required  to pay  deductibles  and  our  insurance
      coverage is limited to certain  caps.  For  example,  our  deductible  for
      windstorm  damage to our  Florida  property  amounts to 1% of any loss and
      coverage for earthquake damage to our California  properties is limited to
      $5 million.  Further,  while  insurance  reimburses  us for our lost gross
      earnings  during a business  interruption,  if we are unable to supply our
      customers with our products for an extended  period of time,  there can be
      no assurance that we will regain the customers'  business once the product
      supply is returned to normal.


                                      -25-


Item 2. Properties

Facilities

      The  following  table sets forth certain  information  with respect to our
principal  operating  facilities.  We believe that our  facilities are generally
well  maintained,  are suitable to support our business and adequate for present
and anticipated needs.

Location                       Square Feet    Own or Lease     Lease Expiration
- ---------------------------    -----------    ------------     ----------------

Utica, NY (two facilities)        650,000          Own               --
Largo, FL                         278,000          Own               --
Rome, NY                          120,000          Own               --
Centennial, CO                     65,000          Own               --
Tampere, Finland                    5,662          Own               --
El Paso, TX                        96,000         Lease           March 2010
Billerica, MA                      60,000         Lease         September 2007
Juarez, Mexico                     44,000         Lease         December 2009
Montreal, Canada (two                                            April 2007 &
   facilities)                     20,940         Lease           March 2009
Santa Barbara, CA                  18,600         Lease         December 2008
Frenchs Forest, Australia          16,909         Lease           July 2008
Tampere, Finland                   15,457         Lease           Open Ended
Brussels, Belgium                  14,660         Lease          August 2012
Anaheim, CA                        14,037         Lease          October 2012
Mississauga, Canada                13,500         Lease            May 2008
Swindon, Wiltshire, UK             10,000         Lease         December 2015
Portland, OR                        9,107         Lease         September 2008
Seoul, Korea                        7,513         Lease          August 2005
Frankfurt, Germany                  6,900         Lease         December 2012
Shepshed, Leicestershire,UK         5,000         Lease          October 2015
Barcelona, Spain                    2,691         Lease            May 2009
Rungis Cedex, France                2,637         Lease         November 2011
Graz, Austria                       2,174         Lease          October 2008
San Juan Capistrano, CA             2,000         Lease          January 2006
Tirat ha-Carmel, Israel             1,076         Lease         December 2006
Maastricht, Netherlands               258         Lease           July 2005


                                      -26-


Item 3. Legal Proceedings

      From time to time, we are a defendant in certain lawsuits alleging product
liability, patent infringement,  or other claims incurred in the ordinary course
of business.  These claims are generally covered by various insurance  policies,
subject to certain deductible  amounts and maximum policy limits.  When there is
no insurance  coverage,  as would  typically  be the case  primarily in lawsuits
alleging patent infringement, we establish sufficient reserves to cover probable
losses  associated with such claims. We do not expect that the resolution of any
pending claims will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or
results of operations.  There can be no assurance,  however, that future claims,
the costs  associated with claims,  especially  claims not covered by insurance,
will not have a material adverse effect on our future performance.

      Manufacturers of medical products may face exposure to significant product
liability  claims.  To  date,  we have  not  experienced  any  material  product
liability  claims,  but any such  claims  arising  in the  future  could  have a
material  adverse effect on our business or results of operations.  We currently
maintain  commercial product liability insurance of $25 million per incident and
$25  million in the  aggregate  annually,  which we believe  is  adequate.  This
coverage is on a claims-made  basis.  There can be no assurance that claims will
not exceed  insurance  coverage or that such  insurance will be available in the
future at a reasonable cost to us.

      Our  operations  are  subject  to  a  number  of  environmental  laws  and
regulations governing, among other things, air emissions, wastewater discharges,
the use,  handling  and disposal of hazardous  substances  and wastes,  soil and
groundwater  remediation and employee health and safety.  In some  jurisdictions
environmental  requirements  may be  expected to become  more  stringent  in the
future. In the United States certain environmental laws can impose liability for
the  entire  cost of site  restoration  upon each of the  parties  that may have
contributed  to conditions at the site  regardless of fault or the lawfulness of
the  party's  activities.  While we do not  believe  that the  present  costs of
environmental compliance and remediation are material, there can be no assurance
that future compliance or remedial obligations could not have a material adverse
effect on our financial condition or results of operations.

      In November 2003, we commenced  litigation  against  Johnson & Johnson and
several of its subsidiaries,  including  Ethicon,  Inc. for violation of federal
and state  antitrust  laws. The lawsuit claims that Johnson & Johnson engaged in
illegal and  anticompetitive  conduct  with  respect to sales of product used in
endoscopic surgery, resulting in higher prices to consumers and the exclusion of
competition.  We have sought  relief which  includes an  injunction  restraining
Johnson  & Johnson  from  continuing  its  anticompetitive  practice  as well as
receiving  the  maximum  amount of damages  allowed by law.  Our claims  against
Johnson & Johnson are  currently in the discovery  stage.  While we believe that
our claims are  well-grounded in fact and law, there can be no assurance that we
will be successful in our claim. In addition, the costs associated with pursuing
this claim may be material.

Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

      Not Applicable.


                                      -27-


                                     PART II

Item 5.  Market  for the  Registrant's  Common  Equity and  Related  Stockholder
         Matters

      Our common stock,  par value $.01 per share, is traded on the Nasdaq Stock
Market under the symbol "CNMD".  At March 9, 2005,  there were 1,142  registered
holders of our common stock and  approximately  10,433  accounts held in "street
name".

      The following table sets forth quarterly high and low sales prices for the
years ended December 31, 2003 and 2004, as reported by the Nasdaq Stock Market.

                                                    2003
                                         --------------------------
      Period                              High                 Low
                                         --------------------------
      First Quarter                      $20.74              $13.95

      Second Quarter                      20.83               16.69

      Third Quarter                       22.00               18.21

      Fourth Quarter                      24.30               19.52

                                                    2004
                                         --------------------------
      Period                              High                 Low
                                         --------------------------

      First Quarter                      $29.54              $23.72

      Second Quarter                      30.89               24.00

      Third Quarter                       27.92               20.73

      Fourth Quarter                      30.02               25.47

      We did not pay cash  dividends on our common stock during 2003 or 2004 and
do not  currently  intend to pay dividends for the  foreseeable  future.  Future
decisions as to the payment of dividends  will be at the discretion of the Board
of  Directors,  subject to  conditions  then  existing,  including our financial
requirements  and condition  and the  limitation  and payment of cash  dividends
contained in debt agreements.

      Our Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program; See Note
8 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion.

      Information  relating to compensation  plans under which equity securities
of CONMED  Corporation  are  authorized for issuance is set forth in the section
captioned  "Stock  Option  Plans"  in  CONMED  Corporation's   definitive  Proxy
Statement  or  other  informational  filing  for  our  2005  Annual  Meeting  of
Stockholders and all such information is incorporated herein by reference.


                                      -28-


Item 6. Selected Financial Data

      The following table sets forth selected historical  financial data for the
years ended December 31, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004. The financial data set
forth  below  should  be  read  in  conjunction   with  the  information   under
"Management's  Discussion  and  Analysis of Financial  Condition  and Results of
Operations" included in Item 7 of this Form 10-K and the Financial Statements of
the Company and the notes thereto.

                  FIVE YEAR SUMMARY OF SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA



                                                                             Years Ended December 31,
                                                      ----------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                         2000           2001           2002           2003           2004
                                                      ----------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                       (in thousands, except per share data)
                                                                                                    
Statements of Operations Data (1):
     Net sales                                        $ 395,873      $ 428,722      $ 453,062      $ 497,130       $ 558,388
     Cost of sales (2)                                  188,223        204,374        215,891        237,433         271,496
                                                      ---------      ---------      ---------      ---------       ---------
     Gross profit                                       207,650        224,348        237,171        259,697         286,892
                                                      ---------      ---------      ---------      ---------       ---------
     Selling and administrative                         126,807        140,560        139,735        157,453         183,183
     Research and development                            14,870         14,830         16,087         17,306          20,205
     Write-off of in-process
        research and development (3)                         --             --             --          7,900          16,400
     Other expense (income)(4)                            1,509             --          2,000         (2,917)          3,943
                                                      ---------      ---------      ---------      ---------       ---------
     Income from operations                              64,464         68,958         79,349         79,955          63,161
     Loss on early extinguishment
        of debt (5)                                          --             --          1,475          8,078             825
     Interest expense                                    34,286         30,824         24,513         18,868          12,774
                                                      ---------      ---------      ---------      ---------       ---------
     Income before income taxes                          30,178         38,134         53,361         53,009          49,562
     Provision for income taxes                          10,864         13,728         19,210         20,927          16,097
                                                      ---------      ---------      ---------      ---------       ---------
     Net income (6)                                   $  19,314      $  24,406      $  34,151      $  32,082       $  33,465
                                                      =========      =========      =========      =========       =========

Earnings Per Share (7)
     Basic                                            $    0.84      $    1.02      $    1.25      $    1.11       $    1.13
                                                      =========      =========      =========      =========       =========
     Basic adjusted for SFAS 142 (6)                  $    1.08      $    1.25      $    1.25      $    1.11       $    1.13
                                                      =========      =========      =========      =========       =========

     Diluted                                          $    0.83      $    1.00      $    1.23      $    1.10       $    1.11
                                                      =========      =========      =========      =========       =========
     Diluted adjusted for SFAS 142 (6)                $    1.07      $    1.23      $    1.23      $    1.10       $    1.11
                                                      =========      =========      =========      =========       =========

Weighted Average Number of Common
Shares In Calculating (7):

     Basic earnings per share                            22,967         24,045         27,337         28,930          29,523
                                                      =========      =========      =========      =========       =========
     Diluted earnings per share                          23,271         24,401         27,827         29,256          30,105
                                                      =========      =========      =========      =========       =========

Other Financial Data:
     Depreciation and amortization                    $  29,487      $  30,148      $  22,370      $  24,854       $  26,868
     Capital expenditures                                14,050         14,443         13,384          9,309          12,419
     Ratio of earnings to fixed
        charges (8)                                        1.85           2.20           3.12           3.72            4.63

Balance Sheet Data (at period end):
     Cash and cash equivalents                        $   3,470      $   1,402      $   5,626      $   5,986       $   4,189
     Total assets                                       679,571        701,608        742,140        805,058         872,825
     Long-term debt (including
        current portion)                                378,748        335,929        257,387        264,591         294,522
     Total shareholders' equity                         230,603        283,634        386,939        433,490         447,983



                                      -29-


(1)   Results of  operations  of acquired  businesses  have been recorded in the
      financial  statements  since  the  date  of  acquisition.  See  additional
      discussion in Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

(2)   Includes acquisition-related charges of $1.6 million in 2001, $1.3 million
      in 2003 and $4.4 million in 2004.  Amounts  recorded in 2004  consisted of
      $2.3 million related to the step-up to fair value of inventory acquired as
      a result of the Bard Endoscopic Technologies  acquisition and $2.1 million
      representing the incremental  costs incurred during the transition  period
      in which we are  continuing  to purchase the acquired  products  from C.R.
      Bard. See additional  discussion in Note 2 to the  Consolidated  Financial
      Statements.

(3)   During  2003,  we recorded a $7.9 million  charge to write-off  in-process
      research and  development  assets  acquired as a result of our purchase of
      Bionx Implants,  Inc.  discussed in Note 2 to the  Consolidated  Financial
      Statements.  No benefit for income  taxes was  recorded as these costs are
      not deductible for income tax purposes.

      During  2004,  we  recorded  a  $16.4  million  charge  to  write-off  the
      tax-deductible  in-process  research and development  assets acquired as a
      result  of our  purchase  of the  business  operations  of the  Endoscopic
      Technologies  Division  of  C.R.  Bard,  Inc.  discussed  in Note 2 to the
      Consolidated Financial Statements.

(4)   Includes a severance  charge of $1.5 million related to the  restructuring
      of our arthroscopy sales force in 2000; $2.0 million charge related to the
      settlement of a patent infringement case in 2002; $9.0 million gain on the
      settlement of a contractual  dispute,  $2.8 million in pension  settlement
      costs  and $3.2  million  in  acquisition-related  charges  in 2003;  $2.4
      million charge related to the  termination of a product  offering and $1.5
      million in acquisition-related  charges in 2004. See additional discussion
      in Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

(5)   Includes in 2002, 2003 and 2004, charges of $1.5 million, $8.1 million and
      $0.8 million,  respectively,  related to losses on early extinguishment of
      debt. See additional  discussion in Note 6 to the  Consolidated  Financial
      Statements.

(6)   Effective  January 1, 2002,  the  provisions  of  Statement  of  Financial
      Accounting  Standards  No. 142,  "Goodwill and Other  Intangible  Assets,"
      ("SFAS 142") were adopted  relative to the cessation of  amortization  for
      goodwill and certain  intangible assets. Had we accounted for goodwill and
      certain intangibles in accordance with SFAS 142 for all periods presented,
      net  income  would have been  $24.9  million in 2000 and $30.1  million in
      2001.

(7)   Earnings  per share and the number of shares  used in the  calculation  of
      earnings  per  share  have  been  restated  to  retroactively   reflect  a
      three-for-two  split of our common stock  effected in the form of a common
      stock dividend and paid on September 7, 2001.

(8)   The ratio of earnings to fixed  charges is  calculated  by dividing  fixed
      charges into income before income taxes plus fixed charges.  Fixed charges
      include  interest  expense and the  estimated  interest  component of rent
      expense.


                                      -30-


Item 7. Management's  Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results
        of Operations

      The  following  discussion  should be read in  conjunction  with  Selected
Financial Data (Item 6), and our Consolidated  Financial  Statements and related
notes contained elsewhere in this report.

Overview of CONMED Corporation

      CONMED Corporation ("CONMED", the "Company",  "we" or "us") is a worldwide
developer,  manufacturer  and  distributor  of a  broad  portfolio  of  advanced
surgical  instruments and medical devices with an emphasis on minimally invasive
procedures and monitoring. Our products are used by surgeons and physicians in a
variety of  specialties  including  orthopedics,  general  surgery,  gynecology,
neurosurgery and  gastroenterology.  We offer surgical products and technologies
to our customers  through six principal  product lines.  These product lines and
the percentage of consolidated revenues associated with each, are as follows:

                                                2002       2003       2004

      Arthroscopy                                36%        37%        37%

      Powered Surgical Instruments               25         25         23

      Electrosurgery                             15         15         15

      Patient Care                               16         14         14

      Endosurgery                                 8          9          8

      Endoscopic Technologies                    --         --          3
                                                ---        ---        ---

      Consolidated Net Sales                    100%       100%       100%
                                                ===        ===        ===

      A significant amount of our products are used in surgical  procedures with
approximately 75% of our revenues derived from the sale of disposable  products.
We manufacture  substantially  all of our products in facilities  located in the
United  States.  We market our products both  domestically  and  internationally
directly to customers and through distributors. International sales approximated
29%, 33% and 35% in 2002, 2003 and 2004, respectively.

Business Environment, Opportunities and Challenges

      The  aging of the  worldwide  population  along  with  lifestyle  changes,
continued  cost  containment  pressures on healthcare  systems and the desire of
clinicians and  administrators to use less invasive (or noninvasive)  procedures
are  important  trends which are driving the growth for our surgical and patient
care products.

      We have  historically used strategic  business  acquisitions and exclusive
distribution  relationships  to diversify  our product  offerings,  increase our
market share in certain product lines and realize economies of scale. In 2003 we
made  important  progress in broadening  our  Arthroscopy  product line with the
acquisition of Bionx Implants, Inc. (the "Bionx acquisition" - See Note 2 to the
Consolidated Financial  Statements).  In January 2004, we announced an agreement
with Dolphin  Medical,  Inc., a subsidiary of OSI Systems,  Inc., under which we
became the


                                      -31-


exclusive  North  American  distributor  for a full  line  of  Dolphin(R)  pulse
oximetry products. These products are included in our Patient Care product line.

      On September 30, 2004 we completed the acquisition of certain  products of
the Endoscopic  Technologies  Division of C.R. Bard, Inc. (the "Bard  Endoscopic
Technologies   acquisition"  -  See  Note  2  to  the   Consolidated   Financial
Statements).  The acquired product line consists of various disposable  products
used by  gastroenterologists  to diagnose  and treat  diseases of the  digestive
tract.  Several of the products  are used in  conjunction  with  electrosurgical
devices to cause  hemostasis  following  the removal of diseased  tissue.  It is
anticipated  that these  products  will  complement  our current  Electrosurgery
product offerings. Manufacturing of the products is currently being conducted in
various C.R. Bard  facilities  under a transition  agreement.  It is anticipated
that future  manufacturing  will be shifted to our  facilities  during the third
quarter of 2005.

      Continued innovation and commercialization of new proprietary products and
processes are essential  elements of our long-term growth strategy.  In February
2005,  we unveiled  several new products at the American  Academy of  Orthopedic
Surgeons   Annual  Meeting  which  will  enhance  our  arthroscopy  and  powered
instrument product  offerings.  Our reputation as an innovator is exemplified by
these  recent  product  introductions,   which  include  an  Advantage(R)  Turbo
Arthroscopic Shaver System; PINN-ACL(R) cross pin device;  Lightwave(TM) suction
ablator;   PowerProMax(TM)   powered   instrument   handpieces,   batteries  and
attachments;      ThRevo(TM)      triple-loaded      suture     anchor;      and
SuperRevo(R)/Bio-Anchor(R)/Duet(TM)/Impact(TM)  suture anchors pre-threaded with
Herculine(TM).

      Our current  research  initiatives  include the development of reflectance
technology  products.  This technology  permits  non-invasive  analysis of blood
oxygen levels in clinical  situations which previously could not be accomplished
using  traditional  non-invasive  techniques  ("Pro2(R)").  We anticipate a 2005
product launch in the United States and Europe.

      Additionally,  in 2003 we acquired technology for a product referred to as
Endotracheal  Cardiac  Output  Monitor  ("ECOM").  Our ECOM product  offering is
expected  to replace  catheter  monitoring  of cardiac  output  with a specially
designed endotracheal tube which utilizes proprietary  bio-impedance technology.
A large portion of the  development  of this product,  as well as future product
enhancements,  will be conducted in our newly  created  research  subsidiary  in
Israel.  In June  2004,  CONMED and our  Israeli  subsidiary  were  awarded a $1
million  grant  from  the  Israel-U.S.   Binational   Industrial   Research  and
Development  Foundation to assist in product  development.  We anticipate a 2006
product launch in the United States and Europe.

      Certain  of our  products,  particularly  our  line  of  surgical  suction
instruments,  tubing and ECG  electrodes,  are more  commodity  in nature,  with
limited  opportunity  for product  differentiation.  These  products  compete in
mature, price sensitive markets. As a result, while sales volumes have continued
to increase,  we have experienced and expect that we will continue to experience
pricing and margin  pressures  in these  product  lines.  We believe that we may
continue  to  profitably  compete  in these  product  lines by  maintaining  and
improving  our low cost  manufacturing  structure.  In  addition,  we  expect to
continue  to use cash  generated  from these low margin,  low capital  intensive
products to invest in, improve and expand higher margin product lines.


                                      -32-


Critical Accounting Estimates

      Preparation of our financial  statements requires us to make estimates and
assumptions which affect the reported amounts of assets,  liabilities,  revenues
and expenses.  Note 1 to the  Consolidated  Financial  Statements  describes the
significant   accounting  policies  used  in  preparation  of  the  Consolidated
Financial Statements.  The most significant areas involving management judgments
and  estimates  are  described  below and are  considered  by  management  to be
critical to understanding  the financial  condition and results of operations of
CONMED Corporation.

Revenue Recognition

      Revenue is  recognized  when title has been  transferred  to the  customer
which is generally at the time of shipment.  The following policies apply to our
major categories of revenue transactions:

      o     Sales to customers are evidenced by firm purchase orders.  Title and
            the risks and rewards of ownership are  transferred  to the customer
            when product is shipped.  Payment by the customer is due under fixed
            payment terms.

      o     We place certain of our capital  equipment  with customers in return
            for  commitments to purchase  disposable  products over time periods
            generally  ranging from one to three years. In these  circumstances,
            no revenue is  recognized  upon  capital  equipment  shipment and we
            recognize revenue upon the disposable product shipment.  The cost of
            the equipment is amortized  over the term of  individual  commitment
            agreements.

      o     Product  returns are only accepted at the  discretion of the Company
            and in accordance with our "Returned Goods Policy". Historically the
            level of product  returns  has not been  significant.  We accrue for
            sales  returns,  rebates  and  allowances  based upon an analysis of
            historical  customer  returns and credits,  rebates,  discounts  and
            current market conditions.

      o     The  Company's  terms of sale to customers  generally do not include
            any obligations to perform future services.  Limited  warranties are
            generally  provided for capital  equipment  sales and provisions for
            warranty  are  provided  at the time of  product  sale based upon an
            analysis of historical data.

      o     Amounts  billed to customers  related to shipping and handling  have
            been included in net sales.  Shipping and handling costs included in
            selling and administrative  expense were $7.5 million,  $8.3 million
            and $9.3 million for 2002, 2003 and 2004, respectively.

      o     We sell to a  diversified  base of  customers  around the world and,
            therefore,  believe  there is no  material  concentration  of credit
            risk.

      o     We assess  the risk of loss on  accounts  receivable  and adjust the
            allowance  for  doubtful  accounts  based on this  risk  assessment.
            Historically,  losses on accounts receivable have not been material.
            Management believes that the allowance for doubtful accounts of $1.2


                                      -33-


            million at December  31,  2004 is  adequate to provide for  probable
            losses resulting from accounts receivable.

Inventory Reserves

      We maintain reserves for excess and obsolete inventory  resulting from the
inability  to sell our products at prices in excess of current  carrying  costs.
The markets in which we operate are highly  competitive,  with new  products and
surgical  procedures  introduced on an on-going basis. Such marketplace  changes
may result in our products becoming  obsolete.  We make estimates  regarding the
future  recoverability  of the costs of our products and record a provision  for
excess and obsolete  inventories based on historical  experience,  expiration of
sterilization  dates and expected future trends.  If actual product life cycles,
product  demand or acceptance of new product  introductions  are less  favorable
than projected by management,  additional inventory write-downs may be required.
We believe that our current inventory reserves are adequate.

Business Acquisitions

      We have a  history  of growth  through  acquisitions,  including  the Bard
Endoscopic Technologies  acquisition in 2004. Assets and liabilities of acquired
businesses  are  recorded  under  the  purchase  method of  accounting  at their
estimated fair values as of the date of acquisition.  Goodwill  represents costs
in excess of fair  values  assigned  to the  underlying  net assets of  acquired
businesses.  Other intangible assets primarily represent allocations of purchase
price  to  identifiable  intangible  assets  of  acquired  businesses.  We  have
accumulated  goodwill of $334.5  million and other  intangible  assets of $195.2
million as of December 31, 2004.

      In accordance  with Statement of Financial  Accounting  Standards No. 142,
"Goodwill and Other  Intangible  Assets," ("SFAS 142"),  goodwill and intangible
assets deemed to have indefinite lives are not amortized,  but are subject to at
least annual impairment testing.  The identification and measurement of goodwill
impairment involves the estimation of the fair value of our business.  Estimates
of fair value are based on the best information  available as of the date of the
assessment,  which primarily incorporate  management  assumptions about expected
future cash flows and contemplate other valuation techniques.  Future cash flows
may be  affected by changes in  industry  or market  conditions  or the rate and
extent to which  anticipated  synergies or cost savings are realized  with newly
acquired entities.

      Intangible  assets with a finite  life are  amortized  over the  estimated
useful  life of the asset.  Intangible  assets  which  continue to be subject to
amortization  are also evaluated to determine  whether events and  circumstances
warrant a revision to the remaining period of amortization.  An intangible asset
is  determined  to be impaired  when  estimated  undiscounted  future cash flows
indicate  that the  carrying  amount  of the asset  may not be  recoverable.  An
impairment loss is recognized by reducing the recorded value to its current fair
value.  Although no  goodwill  or other  intangible  asset  impairment  has been
recorded to date,  there can be no  assurance  that future  impairment  will not
occur.  It is our  policy  to  perform  annual  impairment  tests in the  fourth
quarter.

      In  connection   with  the  Bard  Endoscopic   Technologies   acquisition,
significant  estimates  were made in the $16.4  million  valuation  of purchased
in-process  research and development  assets. The purchased  in-process research
and  development  value relates to next generation  gastro-intestinal  products,
which are expected to be released  between the fourth quarter of 2005 and second
quarter of 2006.  The acquired  projects  include  enhancements  and upgrades to
existing device  technology,


                                      -34-


introduction of new device  functionality  and the development of new technology
for gastro-intestinal applications.

      The value of the in-process  research and development was calculated using
a  discounted  cash  flow  analysis  of the  anticipated  net cash  flow  stream
associated  with  the  in-process  technology  of  the  related  product  sales.
Estimated  future net cash flows were  discounted  back to their present  values
using a discount rate of 17%,  which was based on the  weighted-average  cost of
capital  for  publicly-traded  companies  within the  medical  device  industry,
adjusted  for the stage of  completion  of each of the  in-process  research and
development projects.  The risk and return considerations  surrounding the stage
of  completion  were  based  on  costs,  man-hours  and  complexity  of the work
completed  versus to be  completed  and other risks  associated  with  achieving
commercial feasibility. In total, these projects were approximately 40% complete
as of the  acquisition  date.  The total  budgeted  costs for the projects  were
approximately  $8.5 million and the remaining  costs to complete  these projects
were approximately $5.0 million as of the acquisition date.

      The  major  risks  and  uncertainties   associated  with  the  timely  and
successful  completion of these  projects  consist of the ability to confirm the
safety and  efficacy of the  technologies  and  products  based on the data from
clinical trials and obtaining the necessary regulatory  approvals.  In addition,
no assurance may be made that the  underlying  assumptions  used to forecast the
future cash flows or the timely and successful  completion of such projects will
materialize,  as estimated.  For these reasons, among others, actual results may
vary significantly from estimated results.

      See  Note  2  to  the  Consolidated   Financial   Statements  for  further
discussion.

Pension Plan

      We sponsor a defined benefit pension plan covering  substantially  all our
employees. Overall benefit levels provided under the plan were reduced effective
January 1, 2004 resulting in a reduction in the projected benefit  obligation of
approximately  $6.4 million.  Major  assumptions used in accounting for the plan
include the discount rate,  expected return on plan assets,  rate of increase in
employee compensation levels and expected mortality.  Assumptions are determined
based on Company  data and  appropriate  market  indicators,  and are  evaluated
annually as of the plan's measurement date. A change in any of these assumptions
would have an effect on net periodic  pension costs reported in the consolidated
financial statements.

      Lower market interest rates have resulted in us lowering the discount rate
used in determining  pension  expense from 6.25% in 2004 to 5.75% in 2005.  This
change in assumption will result in higher pension expense during 2005.

      We have used an expected rate of return on pension plan assets of 8.0% for
purposes of determining  the net periodic  pension  benefit cost. In determining
the expected return on pension plan assets,  we consider the relative  weighting
of plan assets,  the historical  performance of total plan assets and individual
asset  classes and  economic  and other  indicators  of future  performance.  In
addition, we consult with financial and investment  management  professionals in
developing appropriate targeted rates of return.

      We have estimated our rate of increase in employee  compensation levels at
3.0% consistent with our internal budgeting.


                                      -35-


      As of December 31, 2004, the Company  changed from the 1984 Unisex Pension
mortality table to the 1994 Group Annuity Reserving mortality table for purposes
of  determining  expected  mortality.  This change in assumption  will result in
higher pension expense during 2005.

      Based on these and other  factors,  2005  pension  expense is estimated at
approximately  $4.5 million.  Actual  expense may vary  significantly  from this
estimate.

      See  Note  10  to  the  Consolidated   Financial  Statements  for  further
discussion.

Income Taxes

      The  recorded  future tax benefit  arising from net  deductible  temporary
differences and tax carryforwards is approximately $22.7 million at December 31,
2004.  Management  believes  that  our  earnings  during  the  periods  when the
temporary  differences  become  deductible  will be  sufficient  to realize  the
related future income tax benefits.

      We have  established a valuation  allowance to reflect the  uncertainty of
realizing the benefits of certain net operating loss carryforwards recognized in
connection with the Bionx acquisition.  Any subsequently recognized tax benefits
associated with the valuation  allowance would be allocated to reduce  goodwill.
In assessing  the need for a valuation  allowance,  we estimate  future  taxable
income,  considering the feasibility of ongoing tax planning  strategies and the
realizability  of  tax  loss  carryforwards.  Valuation  allowances  related  to
deferred tax assets may be impacted by changes to tax laws, changes to statutory
tax rates and future taxable income levels.

      See  Note  7  to  the  Consolidated   Financial   Statements  for  further
discussion.

Results of Operations

      The  following  table  presents,  as a  percentage  of net sales,  certain
categories  included in our  consolidated  statements  of income for the periods
indicated:

                                                    Year Ended December 31,
                                                    -----------------------
                                                2002         2003       2004
                                                ----         ----       ----

Net sales ...............................       100.0%       100.0%     100.0%
Cost of sales ...........................        47.7         47.8       48.6
                                              -------      -------    -------
   Gross margin .........................        52.3         52.2       51.4
Selling and administrative expense ......        30.8         31.7       32.8
Research and development expense ........         3.6          3.4        3.6
Write-off of purchased in-process
  research and development assets .......          --          1.7        2.9
Other expense (income), net .............         0.4         (0.6)       0.8
                                              -------      -------    -------
   Income from operations ...............        17.5         16.0       11.3
Loss on early extinguishment of debt ....         0.3          1.6        0.1
Interest expense ........................         5.5          3.7        2.3
                                              -------      -------    -------
Income before income taxes ..............        11.7         10.7        8.9
Provision for income taxes ..............         4.2          4.2        2.9
                                              -------      -------    -------
   Net income ...........................         7.5%         6.5%       6.0%
                                              =======      =======    =======


                                      -36-


2004 Compared to 2003

      Sales for 2004 were $558.4  million,  an increase of $61.3 million (12.3%)
compared  to sales of $497.1  million in 2003.  The Bionx  acquisition  and Bard
Endoscopic Technologies acquisition accounted for $3.3 million and $15.7 million
of the increase,  respectively,  and favorable  foreign currency  exchange rates
accounted  for  $9.7  million.   The  Bionx   acquisition  and  Bard  Endoscopic
Technologies  acquisition are described more fully in Note 2 to the Consolidated
Financial Statements.

      o     Arthroscopy  sales increased $22.9 million (12.6%) in 2004 to $204.9
            million from $182.0 million in 2003,  principally as a result of the
            Bionx  acquisition  and increased  sales of our procedure  specific,
            knee reconstruction, soft tissue fixation and video imaging products
            for  arthroscopy  and general  surgery.  This increase was offset in
            part by reduced  sales of  integrated  operating  room  systems  and
            equipment.

      o     Powered  surgical  instrument sales increased $6.6 million (5.4%) in
            2004 to $128.6 million from $122.0 million in 2003, principally as a
            result of  increased  sales of our  PowerPro(R)  line of large  bone
            instruments.  This increase was partially  offset by decreased sales
            of our small bone instruments and specialty product offerings.

      o     Patient care sales  increased  $5.9 million  (8.4%) in 2004 to $75.9
            million  from  $70.0  million  in 2003,  principally  as a result of
            increased  sales  of our  pulse  oximetry  monitoring  devices,  ECG
            electrodes,  surgical  suction  instruments  and other  patient care
            products.

      o     Electrosurgery sales increased $8.6 million (11.1%) in 2004 to $85.9
            million  from  $77.3  million  in 2003,  principally  as a result of
            increased  sales  of  electrosurgical  disposable  ground  pads  and
            pencils.

      o     Endosurgery  sales  increased  $1.6 million  (3.5%) in 2004 to $47.4
            million from $45.8 million in 2003,  as a result of increased  sales
            of our various laparoscopic instrument products and systems.

      o     Endoscopic   Technologies   sales  for  2004  were   $15.7   million
            representing  the inclusion of results of operations  for the former
            Endoscopic  Technologies  Division  of C.R.  Bard  since the date of
            acquisition.

      Cost of sales  increased  to $271.5  million  in 2004  compared  to $237.4
million in 2003, primarily as a result of increased sales volumes in each of our
principal product lines as described above.  Gross profit margins decreased from
52.2% in 2003 to 51.4% in 2004.  We incurred  $4.4  million and $1.3  million of
acquisition-related expenses during 2004 and 2003, respectively, which have been
included in cost of sales.  The decrease in gross margin  percentage  in 2004 as
compared  to 2003 is  principally  due to the  increase  in  acquisition-related
expenses.

      The $4.4 million of acquisition-related charges included in costs of sales
in 2004,  consists of the following:  $2.3 million of expense which represents a
portion of the step-up to fair value recorded  relating to the sale of inventory
acquired through the Bard Endoscopic Technologies acquisition;  and $2.1 million
in  charges  representing  the  incremental  costs  we are  incurring  during  a
transition  period in which we are continuing to purchase the acquired  products
from C.R.  Bard.  During  2005,  we  expect to  continue  to  experience  higher
incremental  costs until


                                      -37-


manufacturing of the acquired  products is integrated into our facilities during
the third quarter of 2005.

      Selling and administrative  expense increased to $183.2 million in 2004 as
compared  to $157.5  million in 2003.  Selling and  administrative  expense as a
percentage  of net sales  increased  to 32.8% in 2004 from  31.7% in 2003.  This
increase of 1.1 percentage  points is attributable to increased selling expenses
primarily  associated with the transition to a larger,  independent  sales agent
based sales force in our arthroscopy  and powered  surgical  instrument  product
lines (0.6 percentage points) and increased  administrative  expenses associated
with  litigation  against  Johnson  & Johnson  (See Note 11 to the  Consolidated
Financial Statements) and our Sarbanes-Oxley  compliance program (0.5 percentage
points).

      Research and  development  expense was $20.2  million in 2004  compared to
$17.3 million in 2003. As a percentage  of net sales,  research and  development
expense  increased  to 3.6% in 2004 from 3.4% in 2003.  The increase in research
and  development  expense as a percentage  of sales is  principally  a result of
increased spending on the development of our Pro2(R)  reflectance pulse oximetry
system and  endotracheal  cardiac  output monitor for our Patient Care business.
The addition of the  Endoscopic  Technologies  business in  September  2004 also
contributed to the increase in research and development expense.

      As  discussed  in  Note 2 to the  Consolidated  Financial  Statements,  we
wrote-off  $16.4 million and $7.9 million of purchased  in-process  research and
development assets associated with the Bard Endoscopic Technologies  acquisition
and Bionx acquisition in 2004 and 2003, respectively.

      As discussed in Note 12 to the Consolidated  Financial  Statements,  other
expense in 2004 consisted  primarily of $2.4 million of expenses associated with
the  termination  of our surgical  lights  product  offering and $1.5 million of
expenses related to the Bard Endoscopic Technologies  acquisition.  We expect to
incur an additional $1.6 million in expenses  associated with the termination of
our surgical  lights  product  offering in 2005.  As discussed in Note 12 to the
Consolidated  Financial  Statements,  other  income in 2003  consisted of a $9.0
million net gain on the  settlement  of a contractual  dispute,  $2.8 million in
pension  settlement  costs  associated with the  restructuring of our orthopedic
sales force and $3.2  million in  acquisition  costs  related  primarily  to the
acquisition of CORE Dynamics,  Inc. (the "CORE  acquisition" - See Note 2 to the
Consolidated Financial Statements) and Bionx acquisition.

      During   2004,   we  recorded   $0.8   million  in  losses  on  the  early
extinguishment of debt related to the refinancing of a portion of the term loans
under our senior  credit  agreement  through the  issuance of 2.50%  convertible
senior subordinated notes. See additional  discussion under Item 7. Management's
Discussion    and   Analysis   of   Financial    Condition    and   Results   of
Operations--Liquidity  and  Capital  Resources  and  Note 6 to the  Consolidated
Financial Statements.

      Interest  expense in 2004 was $12.8  million  compared to $18.9 million in
2003.  The decrease in interest  expense is primarily a result of lower weighted
average  borrowings  outstanding  in 2004 as compared to 2003 and lower weighted
average interest rates on our borrowings  (4.17% in 2004 as compared to 5.99% in
2003) inclusive of the implicit  finance charge on our accounts  receivable sale
facility.  The decrease in weighted  average  interest rates on our borrowing is
primarily a result of our redemption of $130.0 million in 9% senior subordinated
notes in 2003 (See Note 6 to the Consolidated  Financial Statements) in favor of
lower cost bank debt.


                                      -38-


      A provision  for income taxes has been  recorded at an  effective  rate of
32.5% in 2004 and 39.5% in 2003. The effective rate for 2004 was lower than that
recorded in 2003 and the United States statutory rate of 35.0% as a result of an
increase in the  estimated  benefits to be  realized  from the  Extraterritorial
Income Exclusion  ("ETI") tax rules on foreign sales. The effective rate in 2003
increased  from the  statutory  rate as a result  of the  non-deductibility  for
income tax  purposes of the Bionx  in-process  research and  development  charge
discussed above.

      On October 22, 2004,  the President  signed the American Jobs Creation Act
of 2004 (the  "Act").  The Act  provides a deduction  for income from  qualified
domestic production activities,  which will be phased in from 2005 through 2010.
In return,  the Act also  provides for a two-year  phase-out of the existing ETI
for foreign sales that was viewed to be inconsistent  with  international  trade
protocols  by the European  Union.  We expect the net effect of the phase out of
the ETI and the phase in of this new  deduction  to result in an increase in the
effective rate of approximately  two percentage  points for 2005 compared to the
2004 effective tax rate of 32.5%. See additional discussion and a reconciliation
of the United States statutory income tax rate to our effective tax rate in Note
7 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

2003 Compared to 2002

      Sales for 2003 were $497.1  million,  an increase of $44.0 million  (9.7%)
compared  to sales of $453.1  million in 2002.  The CORE  acquisition  and Bionx
acquisition  accounted  for $7.2  million  and $12.6  million  of the  increase,
respectively,  and favorable foreign currency exchange rates accounted for $10.8
million.  The Bionx and CORE  acquisitions are described more fully in Note 2 to
the Consolidated Financial Statements.

      o     Arthroscopy  sales increased $19.4 million (11.9%) in 2003 to $182.0
            million from $162.6  million in 2002.  This  increase was  primarily
            attributable  to the Bionx  acquisition  and  inclusion of full year
            results  from two  businesses  acquired  during 2002  engaged in the
            design,  manufacture and  installation of integrated  operating room
            systems and equipment.

      o     Powered  surgical  instrument sales increased $7.7 million (6.7%) in
            2003 to $122.0 million from $114.3  million in 2002,  primarily as a
            result of  increased  sales of our new  PowerPro(R)  line of powered
            instrument products.

      o     Patient care sales  increased  $0.3 million  (0.4%) in 2003 to $70.0
            million from $69.7  million in 2002 as sales of our ECG and surgical
            suction product lines continued to face significant  competition and
            pricing pressures.

      o     Electrosurgery sales increased $7.6 million (10.9%) in 2003 to $77.3
            million  from  $69.7  million  in 2002,  primarily  as a  result  of
            increased sales of our new System 5000(R) electrosurgical generator.

      o     Endosurgery  sales  increased  $9.0 million  (24.5%)in 2003 to $45.8
            million from $36.8 million in 2002,  principally  as a result of the
            inclusion of full year sales from the CORE acquisition.

      Cost of sales  increased  to $237.4  million  in 2003  compared  to $215.9
million in 2002, primarily as a result of the increased sales volumes in each of
our principal  product lines as described above.  Gross profit margins decreased
from


                                      -39-


52.3%  in 2002 to  52.2% in 2003.  As  discussed  in Note 2 to the  Consolidated
Financial    Statements,    during   2003,   we   incurred   $1.3   million   of
acquisition-related   charges  which  have  been  included  in  cost  of  sales.
Additionally,  as  noted  above,  our ECG and  surgical  suction  product  lines
continue to face  significant  competition  and pricing  pressures  resulting in
lower gross margins for these product lines.

      Selling and administrative  expense increased to $157.5 million in 2003 as
compared  to $139.7  million in 2002.  As a  percentage  of sales,  selling  and
administrative  expense  increased  to 31.7% in 2003  from  30.8% in 2002.  This
increase of 0.9 percentage points is primarily attributable to the transition to
a larger,  independent  sales agent based  sales  force in our  arthroscopy  and
powered  surgical  instrument  product lines.  During 2003, we restructured  our
arthroscopy  and  powered  surgical  instrument  sales force by  increasing  our
domestic sales force from 180 to 230 sales representatives. The increase is part
of our integration  plan for the Bionx  acquisition.  As part of the sales force
restructuring,  we converted 90 direct employee sales  representatives into nine
independent sales agent groups. As a result of this  restructuring,  we now have
18 exclusive sales agent groups  managing 230  arthroscopy and powered  surgical
instrument sales representatives.  The transition of the sales force and greater
number of sales staff is expected to result in higher future sales growth in our
arthroscopy and powered surgical instrument product lines.

      Research and  development  expense was $17.3  million in 2003  compared to
$16.1  million in 2002.  As a  percentage  of sales,  research  and  development
expense decreased to 3.4% in 2003 from 3.6% in 2002 due to higher net sales. The
increase in research and development  spending is principally as a result of the
Bionx  acquisition and represents  continued  research and  development  efforts
focused primarily on product development in the arthroscopy and powered surgical
instrument product lines.

      As discussed in Note 2 to the Consolidated  Financial  Statements,  during
the  first  quarter  of 2003 we  wrote-off  purchased  in-process  research  and
development assets of $7.9 million associated with the Bionx acquisition.

      As discussed in Note 12 to the Consolidated  Financial  Statements,  other
income in 2003 consisted  primarily of a $9.0 million net gain on the settlement
of a contractual  dispute,  $2.8 million in pension  settlement costs associated
with the  restructuring  of our orthopedic sales force and $3.2 million in costs
related primarily to the CORE acquisition and Bionx  acquisition.  Other expense
in 2002 consisted of a $2.0 million loss on the settlement of a patent dispute.

      As  discussed  in  Note 6 to the  Consolidated  Financial  Statements,  we
repurchased  $130.0 million of our 9% senior  subordinated notes during 2003 and
recorded  a loss on the  early  extinguishment  of debt  in the  amount  of $8.1
million.  This amount represents call premium and unamortized deferred financing
costs  associated with the purchase.  During 2002, we recorded an expense in the
amount of $1.5 million related to the refinancing of our debt agreements.

      Interest  expense in 2003 was $18.9  million  compared to $24.5 million in
2002.  The decrease in interest  expense is primarily a result of lower weighted
average  borrowings  outstanding  in 2003 as compared to 2002 and lower weighted
average interest rates on our borrowings  (5.99% in 2003 as compared to 7.45% in
2002) inclusive of the implicit  finance charge on our accounts  receivable sale
facility.  The decrease in weighted  average  interest rates on our borrowing is
primarily a result of our redemption of $130.0 million in 9% senior subordinated
notes in 2003


                                      -40-


(See Note 6 to the  Consolidated  Financial  Statements)  in favor of lower cost
bank debt.

      A provision  for income taxes has been  recorded at an  effective  rate of
39.5% in 2003 and 36.0% in 2002. The effective  rate for 2003 was  substantially
higher than that recorded in 2002 and the United States  statutory rate of 35.0%
as a result  of the  non-deductibility  for  income  tax  purposes  of the Bionx
in-process  research and development charge discussed above. A reconciliation of
the  United  States  statutory  income  tax  rate to our  effective  tax rate is
included in Note 7 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

      Our liquidity  needs arise  primarily  from capital  investments,  working
capital  requirements  and  payments  on  indebtedness  under the senior  credit
agreement.  We have  historically  met these liquidity  requirements  with funds
generated from operations, including sales of accounts receivable and borrowings
under our  revolving  credit  facility.  In  addition,  we use term  borrowings,
including  borrowings  under our senior credit  agreement and  borrowings  under
separate loan facilities, in the case of real property purchases, to finance our
acquisitions.  We also have the ability to raise funds through the sale of stock
or we may issue debt through a private placement or public offering.

Operating cash flows

      Our net working capital  position was $159.9 million at December 31, 2004.
Net cash provided by operating  activities was $48.4 million,  $58.4 million and
$74.8 million for 2002, 2003 and 2004, respectively.

      Net cash provided by operating  activities in 2004 was favorably  impacted
by the following noncash charges to income: depreciation, amortization, deferred
income taxes, pension costs in excess of pension contributions, the write-off of
purchased  in-process  research  and  development  assets and the  write-off  of
unamortized  deferred financing costs. Also benefiting cash flow from operations
were the  income tax  benefit  of stock  option  exercises,  increased  sales of
accounts receivable,  increases in accounts payable and accrued compensation and
decreases in inventory.

      Net cash provided by operating activities in 2004 was unfavorably impacted
principally by increases in other assets and decreases in other liabilities as a
result of timing of cash payments,  increased cash payments for income taxes and
increases in accounts receivable as a result of increased sales levels.

Investing cash flows

      Capital  expenditures  were $13.4 million,  $9.3 million and $12.4 million
for 2002, 2003 and 2004, respectively.  These capital expenditures represent the
ongoing  capital  investment  requirements  of our  business and are expected to
continue at the same approximate rate during 2005.

      Net cash flow used in investing  activities in 2004 consisted primarily of
$81.3  million  in  payments   related  to  the  Bard  Endoscopic   Technologies
acquisition.

Financing cash flows

      Net cash provided by (used in) financing  activities during 2004 consisted
of the  following:  $15.2  million in proceeds from the issuance of common stock
under


                                      -41-


our stock  option  plans and  employee  stock  purchase  plan (See Note 8 to the
Consolidated Financial  Statements);  $114.9 million in net repayments under the
senior  credit  agreement;  $5.1 million in net  repayments  on mortgage  notes;
$150.0 million in gross proceeds from the issuance of 2.50%  convertible  senior
subordinated  notes;  $5.8  million in payments  related to the  offering of the
2.50%  convertible  senior  subordinated  notes; $6.2 million net change in cash
overdrafts;  and the  repurchase of 1.1 million shares of our common stock at an
aggregate cost of approximately $30.0 million.

      Our senior credit  agreement  consists of a $100 million  revolving credit
facility  and a $260  million  term loan.  At  December  31,  2004 there were no
amounts  outstanding  on the revolving  credit  facility.  The aggregate  amount
outstanding  on the term loan was $128.1  million at December 31, 2004. The term
loan is  scheduled  to be  repaid  in  quarterly  installments  over a period of
approximately  5  years,  with  scheduled  principal  payments  of $2.6  million
annually  through  December  2007  increasing  to $60.3  million in 2008 and the
remaining  balance  outstanding due in December 2009. We have made all scheduled
term loan  repayments  as they have come  due.  We may also be  required,  under
certain  circumstances,  to make additional  principal  payments based on excess
annual cash flow as defined in the senior  credit  agreement.  No such  payments
were required during 2004. Interest rates on the term facility and the revolving
credit  facility are at the London  Interbank  Offered Rate ("LIBOR") plus 2.25%
(4.65% at December 31, 2004).

      The senior credit agreement is  collateralized by substantially all of our
personal  property and assets,  except for our accounts  receivable  and related
rights which have been sold in  connection  with our accounts  receivable  sales
agreement  (See Note 1 to the  Consolidated  Financial  Statements).  The senior
credit agreement contains covenants and restrictions  which, among other things,
require  maintenance of certain  working  capital  levels and financial  ratios,
prohibit dividend  payments and restrict the incurrence of certain  indebtedness
and other activities, including acquisitions and dispositions. The senior credit
agreement  contains a material  adverse  effect  clause  which  could  limit our
ability to access additional  funding under our revolving credit facility should
a material  adverse change in our business  occur.  We are also required,  under
certain circumstances, to make mandatory prepayments from net cash proceeds from
any issue of equity and asset sales.

      Outstanding  debt assumed in connection with the 2001 purchase of property
in Largo,  Florida utilized by our CONMED Linvatec subsidiary consists of a note
bearing  interest at 7.50% per annum with  semiannual  payments of principal and
interest through June 2009 (the "Class A note");  and a note bearing interest at
8.25%  per  annum  compounded   semiannually  through  June  2009,  after  which
semiannual payments of principal and interest will commence,  continuing through
June 2019 (the "Class C note"). The principal balances  outstanding on the Class
A note and Class C note aggregated $8.3 million and $8.2 million,  respectively,
at December 31, 2004. These loans are secured by our Largo, Florida property.

      On November 11 2004, we completed an offering, in a private placement,  of
$150.0 million in 2.50% convertible senior  subordinated notes (the "Notes") due
2024.  This offering has allowed us to fix interest  rates on $150.0  million of
our  total  outstanding  long-term  debt  at  2.50%.  The  Notes  represent  our
subordinated  unsecured  obligations  and are  convertible  under the  following
circumstances,  as defined in the bond indenture, into a combination of cash and
CONMED common  stock:  when the closing price of our common stock for each of 20
or more  consecutive  trading  days in a period of 30  consecutive  trading days
exceeds  130% of the  applicable  conversion  price;  after  any 10  consecutive
trading  day period in which the  average  trading  price per  $1,000  principal
amount of the Notes  was  equal to or less  than 97% of the  average  conversion
value of the Notes; if we call a Note for


                                      -42-


redemption;  and based on certain corporate transactions such as if we are party
to a  consolidation,  merger or binding share  exchange in which over 50% of our
outstanding  shares of common stock would be converted into cash,  securities or
other  property,  or if  another  fundamental  change  (as  defined  in the bond
indenture)  occurs.  Upon  conversion,  the holder of each Note will receive the
conversion  value of the Note payable in cash up to the principal  amount of the
Note and CONMED common stock for the Note's  conversion  value in excess of such
principal  amount.  Amounts in excess of the principal  amount are at an initial
conversion rate,  subject to adjustment,  of 26.1849 shares per $1,000 principal
amount of the Note (which  represents an initial  conversion price of $38.19 per
share). The Notes mature on November 15, 2024 and are not redeemable by us prior
to  November  15,  2011.  Holders of the Notes  will be able to require  that we
repurchase some or all of the Notes on November 15, 2011, 2014 and 2019.

      We have  determined that the Notes contain two embedded  derivatives.  The
embedded  derivatives are recorded at fair value in other long-term  liabilities
and changes in their value are recorded  through the  consolidated  statement of
income. The embedded derivatives have a nominal value, and it is our belief that
any change in their fair value would not have a material  adverse  effect on our
business, financial condition or results of operations.

      The Notes offering resulted in gross proceeds of $150.0 million, less $5.8
million in initial  purchaser's  discount and other  offering  related  payments
which are being  amortized  to interest  expense  over a 7 year  period  through
November 15, 2011 (the  earliest  date at which we may be required to repurchase
some or all of the Notes).  Net proceeds from the offering and cash on hand were
used to repay  $82.2  million  on the term loan and a further  $45.0  million in
borrowings  then  outstanding on the revolving  credit facility under our senior
credit agreement. (The revolving credit facility borrowings were used to finance
a portion of the Bard  Endoscopic  Technologies  acquisition--See  Note 2 to the
Consolidated Financial Statements).  Additionally, in conjunction with the Notes
offering,  we  repurchased  $30.0  million  of our  common  stock  in  privately
negotiated transactions. As a result of the $82.2 million prepayment on the term
loan,  we recorded  $0.8 million in losses on the early  extinguishment  of debt
related to the write-off of unamortized deferred financing fees.

      Initial  purchasers  for the Notes  included UBS  Securities  LLC, Banc of
America  Securities LLC,  Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and JP Morgan Securities
Inc. (the "initial purchasers"). The Notes were resold by the initial purchasers
to  qualified  institutional  buyers  within the  meaning of Rule 144A under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended.  The Notes and the  underlying  common stock
issuable upon conversion  have not been  registered  under the Securities Act or
any  applicable  state  securities  laws and may not be  offered  or sold in the
United  States,  absent  registration  or  an  applicable  exemption  from  such
registration  requirements.  We have  filed a  registration  statement  with the
Securities  and Exchange  Commission  on Form S-3,  which is not yet  effective,
which will enable the qualified institutional buyers to resell their holdings in
the Notes.

      On  February  15,  2005,  we  announced  that our Board of  Directors  has
authorized a share repurchase  program under which we may repurchase up to $50.0
million  of our  common  stock,  although  no more  than  $25.0  million  may be
purchased in any calendar year.  The  repurchase  program calls for shares to be
purchased in the open market or in private  transactions  from time to time.  We
may suspend or discontinue the share  repurchase  program at any time. We expect
to  repurchase  shares to offset the  dilutive  effect of the issuance of shares
under our employee stock option and employee stock  purchase  plans,  but we may
also repurchase  shares depending upon market conditions and the market price of
our common stock. We expect to finance


                                      -43-


repurchases  from  cash-on-hand  and amounts  available  under our senior credit
agreement.

      Management  believes that cash flow from  operations,  including  accounts
receivable  sales,  cash and cash  equivalents  on hand and available  borrowing
capacity  under  our  senior  credit  agreement  will be  adequate  to meet  our
anticipated  operating working capital  requirements,  debt service,  funding of
capital expenditures and common stock repurchases in the foreseeable future. See
"Item 1. Business - Forward Looking Statements."

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

      We have an accounts  receivable  sales agreement  pursuant to which we and
certain of our subsidiaries sell on an ongoing basis certain accounts receivable
to CONMED Receivables  Corporation  ("CRC"), a wholly-owned,  bankruptcy-remote,
special-purpose subsidiary of CONMED Corporation.  CRC may in turn sell up to an
aggregate  $50.0  million  undivided   percentage  ownership  interest  in  such
receivables (the "asset interest") to a bank (the "purchaser").  The purchaser's
share of  collections  on accounts  receivable  are calculated as defined in the
accounts receivable sales agreement, as amended. Effectively, collections on the
pool of  receivables  flow first to the  purchaser  and then to CRC,  but to the
extent that the purchaser's  share of collections may be less than the amount of
the purchaser's  asset interest,  there is no recourse to CONMED or CRC for such
shortfall.  For  receivables  which have been sold,  CONMED  Corporation and its
subsidiaries retain collection and administrative  responsibilities as agent for
the  purchaser.  As of December  31,  2003 and 2004,  the  undivided  percentage
ownership interest in receivables sold by CRC to the purchaser  aggregated $44.0
million and $49.0 million, respectively,  which has been accounted for as a sale
and  reflected  in the  balance  sheet as a reduction  in  accounts  receivable.
Expenses  associated  with  the  sale  of  accounts  receivable,  including  the
purchaser's  financing  costs to purchase  the  accounts  receivable,  were $0.8
million and $1.0 million,  in 2003 and 2004,  respectively,  and are included in
interest expense.

      There are certain statistical ratios,  primarily related to sales dilution
and losses on accounts  receivable,  which must be calculated  and maintained on
the pool of receivables in order to continue selling to the purchaser.  The pool
of receivables is in full compliance with these ratios. Management believes that
additional  accounts receivable arising in the normal course of business will be
of sufficient  quality and quantity to meet the  requirements for sale under the
accounts receivables sales agreement.  In the event that new accounts receivable
arising  in the  normal  course  of  business  do not  qualify  for  sale,  then
collections  on sold  receivables  will flow to the purchaser  rather than being
used to fund new receivable purchases. To the extent that such collections would
not be available to CONMED in the form of new  receivables  purchases,  we would
need to access an alternate source of working capital,  such as our $100 million
revolving credit facility. Our accounts receivable sales agreement,  as amended,
also  requires us to obtain a commitment  (the  "purchaser  commitment"),  on an
annual  basis,  from  the  purchaser  to  fund  the  purchase  of  our  accounts
receivable.  The purchaser  commitment  was amended  effective  October 20, 2004
whereby it was  extended for an  additional  year under  substantially  the same
terms and conditions.

Contractual Obligations

      The following table  summarizes our  contractual  obligations for the next
five years and thereafter (amounts in thousands). Purchase obligations represent
purchase  orders  for  goods  and  services  placed  in the  ordinary  course of
business. There were no capital lease obligations as of December 31, 2004.


                                      -44-




                                                                     Payments Due by Period

                                                              Less than       1-3            3-5      More than
                                                  Total        1 Year        Years          Years      5 Years
                                                --------      --------      --------      --------    ---------
                                                                                        
Long-term debt ......................           $294,522      $  4,037      $  8,601      $124,112     $157,772
Purchase Obligations ................             73,059        72,783           255            21           --
Operating lease
    obligations .....................             13,990         2,796         5,208         3,795        2,191
                                                --------      --------      --------      --------     --------
Total contractual
    obligations .....................           $381,571      $ 79,616      $ 14,064      $127,928     $159,963
                                                ========      ========      ========      ========     ========


      In addition to the above contractual obligations,  we are required to make
periodic interest  payments on our long-term debt  obligations;  (See additional
discussion under Item 7A. "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market
Risk--Interest Rate Risk") and Note 6 to the Consolidated  Financial Statements.
We may also be required to make  contributions to our pension plan which are not
expected  to  exceed  $4.5  million  in 2005  (See  Note 10 to the  Consolidated
Financial Statements).

Stock-based Compensation

      We have  reserved  shares  of  common  stock  issuance  to  employees  and
directors  under three  shareholder-approved  stock option  plans.  The exercise
price on all outstanding options is equal to the quoted fair market value of the
stock at the date of grant.  Stock  options are  non-transferable  other than on
death and  generally  become  exercisable  over a five year  period from date of
grant and expire  ten years  from date of grant (See Note 8 to the  Consolidated
Financial Statements).

New Accounting Pronouncements

      See Note 14 to the Consolidated  Financial  Statements for a discussion of
new accounting pronouncements.

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

      Market risk is the potential  loss arising from adverse  changes in market
rates and prices such as commodity  prices,  foreign currency exchange rates and
interest  rates.  In the normal  course of  business,  we are exposed to various
market risks,  including changes in foreign currency exchange rates and interest
rates.  We manage our exposure to these and other market risks  through  regular
operating  and  financing  activities  and  as  necessary  through  the  use  of
derivative financial instruments.

Foreign currency risk

      A significant  portion of our  operations  consist of sales  activities in
foreign  jurisdictions.  As a result,  our financial  results may be affected by
factors  such as changes in foreign  currency  exchange  rates or weak  economic
conditions  in the markets in which we distribute  products.  As of December 31,
2004, we have not entered into any foreign  exchange forward or option contracts
designed to hedge the effect of foreign currency transactions. We have mitigated
the effect of foreign  currency  exchange rate risk by transacting a significant
portion of our foreign sales in United States dollars.  During 2004,  changes in
currency exchange rates increased sales by approximately $9.7 million and income
before  income  taxes by  approximately  $6.4  million.  In the future,  we will
continue


                                      -45-


to evaluate  our  foreign  currency  exposure  and assess the need to enter into
derivative contracts which hedge foreign currency transactions.

Interest rate risk

      At December 31, 2004, we had approximately $128.1 million of variable rate
long-term  debt under our  senior  credit  agreement;  we are not a party to any
interest rate swap  agreements  as of December 31, 2004.  Assuming no repayments
other than our 2005 scheduled term loan payments,  if market  interest rates for
similar  borrowings  average  1.0% more in 2005 than they did in 2004,  interest
expense would  increase,  and income before income taxes would  decrease by $1.3
million.  Comparatively, if market interest rates for similar borrowings average
1.0% less in 2005 than they did in 2004,  our interest  expense would  decrease,
and income before income taxes would increase by $1.3 million.

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

      Our  2004  Financial  Statements,   as  well  as  the  report  thereon  of
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP dated March 15, 2005, are included elsewhere herein.

Item 9. Changes In and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and
        Financial Disclosures

      There were no changes in or  disagreement  with  accountants on accounting
and financial disclosure during the last two fiscal years.

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures

      As of the end of the period  covered by this  report,  an  evaluation  was
carried out by CONMED  Corporation's  management,  with the participation of our
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of our
disclosure  controls  and  procedures  (as defined in Rule  13a-15(e)  under the
Securities  Exchange  Act of  1934).  Based  upon  that  evaluation,  our  Chief
Executive  Officer and Chief Financial  Officer  concluded that these disclosure
controls and  procedures  were  effective as of the end of the period covered by
this report.  In  addition,  no change in our  internal  control over  financial
reporting (as defined in Rule  13a-15(f)  under the  Securities  Exchange Act of
1934)  occurred  during the fourth  quarter of the year ended  December 31, 2004
that has materially affected,  or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our
internal control over financial reporting.

      Management's  Report on Internal Control over Financial  Reporting and the
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm thereon are set forth in
Part II, Item 8 of the Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Item 9B. Other Information

      Not applicable.


                                      -46-


PART III

Item 10. Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant

      The information  required by this item is incorporated herein by reference
to the sections captioned  "Proposal One: Election of Directors" and "Directors,
Executive Officers, Senior Officers, and Nominees for the Board of Directors" in
CONMED Corporation's definitive Proxy Statement or other informational filing to
be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on or about April 15, 2005.

Item 11. Executive Compensation

      The information  required by this item is incorporated herein by reference
to the sections captioned  "Compensation of Executive  Officers",  "Stock Option
Plans",   "Pension  Plans"  and  "Board  of  Directors  Interlocks  and  Insider
Participation;   Certain  Relationships  and  Related  Transactions"  in  CONMED
Corporation's  definitive  Proxy Statement or other  informational  filing to be
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on or about April 15, 2005.

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management

      The information  required by this item is incorporated herein by reference
to the section captioned  "Security  Ownership of Certain  Beneficial Owners and
Management"  in  CONMED  Corporation's   definitive  Proxy  Statement  or  other
informational  filing to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
or about April 15, 2005.

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions

      The information  required by this item is incorporated herein by reference
to  the  section   captioned   "Board  of  Directors   Interlocks   and  Insider
Participation;   Certain  Relationships  and  Related  Transactions"  in  CONMED
Corporation's  definitive  Proxy Statement or other  informational  filing to be
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on or about April 15, 2005.

Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services

      The information  required by this item is incorporated herein by reference
to the section captioned "Audit Fees" in CONMED  Corporation's  definitive Proxy
Statement  or other  informational  filing to be filed with the  Securities  and
Exchange Commission on or about April 15, 2005.


                                      -47-


PART IV

Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

Index to Financial Statements

(a)(1)     List of Financial Statements                        Page in Form 10-K
                                                               -----------------

           Management's Report on Internal Control                    54
           Over Financial Reporting

           Report of Independent Registered Public                    55
           Accounting Firm

           Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31,                57
           2003 and 2004

           Consolidated Statements of Income for the                  58
                Years Ended December 31, 2002, 2003 and
                2004

           Consolidated Statements of Shareholders'                   59
                Equity for the Years Ended December 31,
                2002, 2003 and 2004

           Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for                  61
                the Years Ended December 31, 2002, 2003
                and 2004

           Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements                 63

   (2)     List of Financial Statement Schedules

           Valuation and Qualifying Accounts (Schedule                91
           II)

           All other schedules have been omitted
                because they are not applicable, or the
                required information is shown in the
                financial statements or notes thereto.

   (3)     List of Exhibits

           The exhibits listed on the accompanying
                Exhibit Index on page 50 below are filed
                as part of this Form 10-K.


                                      -48-


SIGNATURES

      Pursuant  to the  requirements  of Section  13 or 15(d) of the  Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on
its behalf by the  undersigned,  thereunto duly authorized on the date indicated
below.

                                CONMED CORPORATION

                                March 15, 2005


                                By: /s/ Eugene R. Corasanti
                                    -----------------------
                                Eugene R. Corasanti
                                (Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer)

      Pursuant to the  requirements  of the Securities Act of 1934,  this report
has been signed below by the following  persons on behalf of the registrants and
in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Signature                        Title                           Date
- ---------                        -----                           ----

                                 Chairman of the Board
/s/ EUGENE R. CORASANTI          Chief Executive Officer
- -----------------------------    and Director                    March 15, 2005
Eugene R. Corasanti

/s/ JOSEPH J. CORASANTI          President, Chief Operating
- -----------------------------    Officer and Director            March 15, 2005
Joseph J. Corasanti

                                 Vice President-Finance
/s/ ROBERT D. SHALLISH JR.       and Chief Financial Officer
- -----------------------------    (Principal Financial Officer)   March 15, 2005
Robert D. Shallish, Jr.

                                 Vice President - Corporate
/s/ LUKE A. POMILIO              Controller (Principal
- -----------------------------    Accounting Officer)
Luke A. Pomilio                                                  March 15, 2005

/s/ BRUCE F. DANIELS
- -----------------------------
Bruce F. Daniels                 Director                        March 15, 2005

/s/ Jo ANN GOLDEN
- -----------------------------
Jo Ann Golden                    Director                        March 15, 2005

/s/ STEPHEN M. MANDIA
- -----------------------------
Stephen M. Mandia                Director                        March 15, 2005

/s/ WILLIAM D. MATTHEWS
- -----------------------------
William D. Matthews              Director                        March 15, 2005

/s/ STUART J. SCHWARTZ
- -----------------------------
Stuart J. Schwartz               Director                        March 15, 2005


                                      -49-


                                  Exhibit Index

Exhibit No.                                    Description
- -----------                                    -----------

2.1              -     Agreement of Purchase  and Sale,  dated as of February 5,
                       2001 by and between Linvatec Corporation and Largo Lakes,
                       I, II and IV, Inc. et al  (Incorporated  by  reference to
                       Exhibit 10.2 of the  Company's  Quarterly  Report on Form
                       10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2001).

2.2              -     Agreement  and Plan of Merger  dated  January 13, 2003 by
                       and among CONMED  Corporation,  Arrow Merger  Corporation
                       and Bionx Implants,  Inc.  (Incorporated  by reference to
                       Exhibit 2.5 of the  Company's  Annual Report on Form 10-K
                       for the year ended December 31, 2002).

2.3              -     Asset  Purchase  Agreement,  dated August 18, 2004 by and
                       between  CONMED  Corporation  and C.R.  Bard,  Inc. et al
                       (Incorporated   by   reference  to  Exhibit  2.1  of  the
                       Company's  Quarterly  Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter
                       ended September 30, 2004).

2.4              -     First  Amendment  to  Asset  Purchase  Agreement,   dated
                       September 29, 2004 by and between CONMED  Corporation and
                       C.R.  Bard,  Inc. et al  (Incorporated  by  reference  to
                       Exhibit  2.2 of the  Company's  Quarterly  Report on Form
                       10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2004).

3.1              -     Amended and Restated By-Laws,  as adopted by the Board of
                       Directors on December 26, 1990 (Incorporated by reference
                       to the  Company's  Current  Report on Form 8-K filed with
                       the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 7, 1991).

3.2              -     1999  Amendment  to  Certificate  of  Incorporation   and
                       Restated   Certificate   of   Incorporation   of   CONMED
                       Corporation  (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of
                       the  Company's  Annual  Report  on Form 10-K for the year
                       ended December 31, 1999).

4.1              -     See Exhibit 3.1.

4.2              -     See Exhibit 3.2.

4.3              -     Guarantee  and  Collateral  Agreement,  dated  August 28,
                       2002,  made by  CONMED  Corporation  and  certain  of its
                       subsidiaries   in  favor   of  JP   Morgan   Chase   Bank
                       (Incorporated   by  reference  to  Exhibit  10.2  of  the
                       Company's  Quarterly  Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter
                       ended September 30, 2002).

4.4              -     First  Amendment to Guarantee and  Collateral  Agreement,
                       dated  June 30,  2003,  made by  CONMED  Corporation  and
                       certain of its  subsidiaries  in favor of JP Morgan Chase
                       Bank  and  the   several   banks  and   other   financial
                       institutions  or  entities  from  time  to  time  parties
                       thereto


                                      -50-


Exhibit No.                                    Description
- -----------                                    -----------

                       (Incorporated   by  reference  to  Exhibit  10.2  of  the
                       Company's  Quarterly  Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter
                       ended June 30, 2003).

4.5                    Indenture   dated   November  10,  2004  between   CONMED
                       Corporation   and  The  Bank  of  New  York,  as  Trustee
                       (Incorporated  by  reference  to  the  Company's  Current
                       Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange
                       Commission on November 16, 2004).

10.1+            -     Employment  Agreement  between  the Company and Eugene R.
                       Corasanti,  dated  December  16,  1996  (Incorporated  by
                       reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company's  Annual Report
                       on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1996).

10.2+            -     Amendment  to  December  16,  1996  Employment  Agreement
                       between the Company and Eugene R. Corasanti,  dated March
                       7, 2002  (Incorporated  by reference to Exhibit  10.10 of
                       the  Company's  Annual  Report  on Form 10-K for the year
                       ended December 31, 2001).

10.3+            -     Amended and restated Employment Agreement, dated November
                       12, 2004, by and between CONMED Corporation and Joseph J.
                       Corasanti,   Esq.   (Incorporated  by  reference  to  the
                       Company's  Current  Report  on Form  8-K  filed  with the
                       Securities and Exchange Commission on November 16, 2004).

10.4             -     1992 Stock  Option Plan  (including  form of Stock Option
                       Agreement)  (Incorporated  by reference to the  Company's
                       Annual  Report on Form 10-K for the year  ended  December
                       25, 1992).

10.5             -     Amended  and   Restated   Employee   Stock   Option  Plan
                       (including form of Stock Option Agreement)  (Incorporated
                       by  reference  to Exhibit  10.6 of the  Company's  Annual
                       Report  on Form  10-K for the  year  ended  December  31,
                       1996).

10.6             -     Stock  Option Plan for  Non-Employee  Directors of CONMED
                       Corporation (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 of
                       the  Company's  Annual  Report  on Form 10-K for the year
                       ended December 31, 1996).

10.7             -     Amendment to Stock Option Plan for Non-employee Directors
                       of CONMED  Corporation  (Incorporated by reference to the
                       Company's  Definitive Proxy Statement for the 2002 Annual
                       Meeting filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
                       on April 17, 2002).

10.8             -     1999 Long-term  Incentive Plan (Incorporated by reference
                       to the Company's  Definitive Proxy Statement for the 1999
                       Annual  Meeting  filed with the  Securities  and Exchange
                       Commission on April 16, 1999).

10.9             -     Amendment to 1999 Long-term  Incentive Plan (Incorporated
                       by reference to the Company's  Definitive Proxy Statement


                                      -51-


Exhibit No.                                    Description
- -----------                                    -----------

                       for the 2002 Annual Meeting filed with the Securities and
                       Exchange Commission on April 17, 2002).

10.10            -     2002  Employee  Stock  Purchase  Plan   (Incorporated  by
                       reference to the Company's Definitive Proxy Statement for
                       the 2002 Annual  Meeting  filed with the  Securities  and
                       Exchange Commission on April 17, 2002).

10.11            -     Amended and  Restated  Credit  Agreement,  dated June 30,
                       2003, among CONMED Corporation,  JP Morgan Chase Bank and
                       the several  banks and other  financial  institutions  or
                       entities from time to time parties thereto  (Incorporated
                       by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the  Company's  Quarterly
                       Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2003).

10.12            -     First Amendment to Amended and Restated Credit Agreement,
                       dated  December 23, 2003,  among CONMED  Corporation,  JP
                       Morgan  Chase  Bank  and  the  several  other   financial
                       institutions  or  entities  from  time  to  time  parties
                       thereto  (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.4 of the
                       Company's  Annual  Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
                       December 31, 2003).

10.13            -     Purchase and Sale Agreement  dated November 1, 2001 among
                       CONMED   Corporation,   et  al  and  CONMED   Receivables
                       Corporation (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of
                       the  Company's  Quarterly  Report  on Form  10-Q  for the
                       quarter ended September 30, 2001).

10.14            -     Amendment  No. 1 dated  October 23, 2003 to the  Purchase
                       and Sale  Agreement  dated  November 1, 2001 among CONMED
                       Corporation,  et al and  CONMED  Receivables  Corporation
                       (Incorporated   by  reference  to  Exhibit  10.2  of  the
                       Company's  Quarterly  Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter
                       ended September 30, 2003).

10.15            -     Amended  and  Restated  Receivables  Purchase  Agreement,
                       dated   October  23,  2003,   among  CONMED   Receivables
                       Corporation,  CONMED Corporation, and Fleet National Bank
                       (Incorporated   by  reference  to  Exhibit  10.1  of  the
                       Company's  Quarterly  Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter
                       ended September 30, 2003).


                                      -52-


10.16            -     Second   Amendment   to  Amended  and   Restated   Credit
                       Agreement,  dated September 23, 2004, by and among CONMED
                       Corporation,  JP Morgan  Chase  Bank and other  financial
                       institutions    from   time   to   time   party   thereto
                       (Incorporated   by  reference  to  Exhibit  10.1  of  the
                       Company's  Quarterly  Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter
                       ended September 30, 2004).

10.17            -     Amendment  No. 1, dated  October  20, 2004 to the Amended
                       and  Restated  Receivables   Purchase  Agreement,   dated
                       October 23, 2003, among CONMED  Receivables  Corporation,
                       CONMED   Corporation  and  Fleet  Bank  (Incorporated  by
                       reference  to  Exhibit  10.2 of the  Company's  Quarterly
                       Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter  ended  September 30,
                       2004).

10.18            -     Registration  Rights Agreement,  dated November 10, 2004,
                       among CONMED Corporation and UBS Securities LLC on behalf
                       of Several Initial Purchasers  (Incorporated by reference
                       to the  Company's  Current  Report on Form 8-K filed with
                       the  Securities  and Exchange  Commission on November 16,
                       2004).

12*              -     Computation of ratio of earnings to fixed charges.

14               -     Code of Ethics. The CONMED code of ethics may be accessed
                       via  the  Company's  website  at   http://www.conmed.com/
                       investor-ethics.htm

21*              -     Subsidiaries of the Registrant.

23*              -     Consent, dated March 15, 2005, of  PricewaterhouseCoopers
                       LLP, independent registered public accounting firm.

31.1*            -     Certification  of Eugene R.  Corasanti  pursuant  to Rule
                       13a-15(f) and Rule 15d-15(f) of the  Securities  Exchange
                       Act,   as  adopted   pursuant   to  Section  302  of  the
                       Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

31.2*            -     Certification of Robert D. Shallish, Jr. pursuant to Rule
                       13a-15(f) and Rule 15d-15(f) of the  Securities  Exchange
                       Act,   as  adopted   pursuant   to  Section  302  of  the
                       Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

32.1*            -     Certifications  of  Eugene  R.  Corasanti  and  Robert D.
                       Shallish,  Jr.  pursuant to 18 U.S.C.  Section  1350,  as
                       adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
                       of 2002.

     *     Filed herewith

     +     Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.


                                      -53-


                     MANAGEMENT'S REPORT ON INTERNAL CONTROL
                            OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING

The  management  of CONMED  Corporation  is  responsible  for  establishing  and
maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Internal control
over financial  reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable  assurance
regarding  the  reliability  of  financial  reporting  and  the  preparation  of
financial   statements  for  external  reporting  purposes  in  accordance  with
generally accepted  accounting  principles.  Our internal control over financial
reporting  includes  policies and procedures  that pertain to the maintenance of
records that, in reasonable detail,  accurately and fairly reflect  transactions
and dispositions of assets;  provide reasonable assurances that transactions are
recorded  as  necessary  to  permit  preparation  of  financial   statements  in
accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of
America,  and that receipts and  expenditures  are being made only in accordance
with authorizations of management and the directors of the Company;  and provide
reasonable  assurance  regarding  prevention or timely detection of unauthorized
acquisition,  use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect
on our  financial  statements.  Because of its  inherent  limitations,  internal
control  over  financial  reporting  may not  prevent  or detect  misstatements.
Management   assessed  the  effectiveness  of  CONMED's  internal  control  over
financial  reporting  as  of  December  31,  2004.  In  making  its  assessment,
management  utilized  the  criteria  set forth by the  Committee  of  Sponsoring
Organizations    of   the    Treadway    Commission    ("COSO")   in   "Internal
Control-Integrated  Framework".  Management  has  concluded  that  based  on its
assessment,  CONMED's internal control over financial reporting was effective as
of December 31, 2004.  Management's  assessment of the effectiveness of CONMED's
internal  control  over  financial  reporting  as of December  31, 2004 has been
audited  by   PricewaterhouseCoopers   LLP,  an  independent  registered  public
accounting firm, as stated in their report which appears on page 55.


/s/ Eugene R. Corasanti
- ---------------------------
Eugene R. Corasanti
Chairman of the Board and
Chief Executive Officer


/s/ Robert D. Shallish, Jr.
- ---------------------------
Robert D. Shallish, Jr.
Vice President-Finance and
Chief Financial Officer


                                      -54-


             REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of CONMED Corporation:

We have completed an integrated audit of CONMED  Corporation's 2004 consolidated
financial  statements and of its internal control over financial reporting as of
December  31,  2004 and  audits  of its 2003  and  2002  consolidated  financial
statements in accordance  with the  standards of the Public  Company  Accounting
Oversight  Board  (United  States).  Our  opinions,  based  on our  audits,  are
presented below.

Consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedule
- ------------------------------------------------------------------

In our  opinion,  the  consolidated  financial  statements  listed  in the index
appearing under Item 15(a)(1)  present  fairly,  in all material  respects,  the
financial  position of CONMED  Corporation and its  subsidiaries at December 31,
2004 and 2003, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each
of the three years in the period  ended  December  31, 2004 in  conformity  with
accounting  principles  generally  accepted in the United States of America.  In
addition,  in our opinion,  the financial statement schedule listed in the index
appearing under Item 15(a)(2)  presents fairly,  in all material  respects,  the
information  set  forth  therein  when  read in  conjunction  with  the  related
consolidated  financial  statements.  These  financial  statements and financial
statement  schedule are the  responsibility  of the  Company's  management.  Our
responsibility  is to  express  an opinion  on these  financial  statements  and
financial  statement  schedule  based on our audits.  We conducted our audits of
these  statements  in  accordance  with  the  standards  of the  Public  Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan
and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial
statements are free of material  misstatement.  An audit of financial statements
includes  examining,  on a test  basis,  evidence  supporting  the  amounts  and
disclosures in the financial  statements,  assessing the  accounting  principles
used and  significant  estimates made by management,  and evaluating the overall
financial  statement  presentation.   We  believe  that  our  audits  provide  a
reasonable basis for our opinion.

Internal control over financial reporting
- -----------------------------------------

Also, in our opinion, management's assessment,  included in "Management's Report
on Internal  Control over Financial  Reporting",  appearing on page 54, that the
Company  maintained  effective  internal control over financial  reporting as of
December  31,  2004  based  on  criteria  established  in  "Internal  Control  -
Integrated Framework" issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the
Treadway Commission ("COSO"), is fairly stated, in all material respects,  based
on those criteria.  Furthermore,  in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all
material  respects,  effective  internal control over financial  reporting as of
December  31,  2004,  based  on  criteria  established  in  Internal  Control  -
Integrated Framework issued by the COSO. The Company's management is responsible
for maintaining  effective internal control over financial reporting and for its
assessment of the  effectiveness of internal  control over financial  reporting.
Our responsibility is to express opinions on management's  assessment and on the
effectiveness of the Company's  internal control over financial  reporting based
on our  audit.  We  conducted  our  audit of  internal  control  over  financial
reporting in  accordance  with the  standards of the Public  Company  Accounting
Oversight  Board  (United  States).  Those  standards  require  that we plan and
perform  the  audit to  obtain  reasonable  assurance  about  whether  effective
internal  control  over  financial  reporting  was  maintained  in all


                                      -55-


material  respects.  An audit  of  internal  control  over  financial  reporting
includes   obtaining  an   understanding  of  internal  control  over  financial
reporting, evaluating management's assessment, testing and evaluating the design
and operating  effectiveness  of internal  control,  and  performing  such other
procedures as we consider  necessary in the  circumstances.  We believe that our
audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinions.

A company's  internal control over financial  reporting is a process designed to
provide reasonable  assurance  regarding the reliability of financial  reporting
and the preparation of financial  statements for external purposes in accordance
with generally accepted accounting principles. A company's internal control over
financial  reporting  includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to
the  maintenance  of records that, in reasonable  detail,  accurately and fairly
reflect the  transactions  and  dispositions of the assets of the company;  (ii)
provide  reasonable  assurance  that  transactions  are recorded as necessary to
permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted
accounting  principles,  and that receipts and  expenditures  of the company are
being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of
the company;  and (iii) provide  reasonable  assurance  regarding  prevention or
timely  detection  of  unauthorized  acquisition,  use,  or  disposition  of the
company's assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent  limitations,  internal control over financial reporting
may not prevent or detect misstatements.  Also, projections of any evaluation of
effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become
inadequate  because of changes in  conditions,  or that the degree of compliance
with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.


PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Syracuse, New York
March 15, 2005


                                      -56-


                               CONMED CORPORATION
                           CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
                           December 31, 2003 and 2004
                (In thousands except share and per share amounts)



                                                                                    2003             2004
                                                                                    ----             ----
                                                                                            
ASSETS
Current assets:
     Cash and cash equivalents ...........................................        $   5,986       $   4,189
     Accounts receivable, less allowance for doubtful
         accounts of $1,672 in 2003 and $1,235 in 2004 ...................           60,449          74,593
     Inventories .........................................................          120,945         127,935
     Deferred income taxes ...............................................           10,188          13,733
     Prepaid expenses and other current assets ...........................            3,538           2,492
                                                                                  ---------       ---------
             Total current assets ........................................          201,106         222,942
                                                                                  ---------       ---------
Property, plant and equipment, net .......................................           97,383         101,465
Goodwill, net ............................................................          290,562         334,483
Other intangible assets, net .............................................          193,969         195,234
Other assets .............................................................           22,038          18,701
                                                                                  ---------       ---------
             Total assets ................................................        $ 805,058       $ 872,825
                                                                                  =========       =========

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
Current liabilities:
     Current portion of long-term debt ...................................        $   4,143       $   4,037
     Accounts payable ....................................................           18,320          28,913
     Accrued compensation and benefits ...................................           10,685          12,655
     Income taxes payable ................................................           10,877           5,870
     Accrued interest ....................................................              279             748
     Other current liabilities ...........................................           10,551          10,838
                                                                                  ---------       ---------
             Total current liabilities ...................................           54,855          63,061
                                                                                  ---------       ---------

Long-term debt ...........................................................          260,448         290,485
Deferred income taxes ....................................................           46,143          51,433
Other long-term liabilities ..............................................           10,122          19,863
                                                                                  ---------       ---------
             Total liabilities ...........................................          371,568         424,842
                                                                                  ---------       ---------

Commitments and contingencies

Shareholders' equity:
     Preferred stock, par value $.01 per share; authorized
         500,000 shares, none outstanding ................................               --              --
     Common stock, par value $.01 per share; 100,000,000
         authorized; 29,140,644 and 30,135,835, issued
         in 2003 and 2004, respectively ..................................              291             301
     Paid-in capital .....................................................          237,076         256,551
     Retained earnings ...................................................          194,473         227,938
     Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) .......................            2,069          (6,399)
     Less: Treasury stock, at cost;
          37,500 and 1,156,500 shares in
          2003 and 2004, respectively ....................................             (419)        (30,408)
                                                                                  ---------       ---------
             Total shareholders' equity ..................................          433,490         447,983
                                                                                  ---------       ---------
             Total liabilities and shareholders' equity ..................        $ 805,058       $ 872,825
                                                                                  =========       =========


                 See notes to consolidated financial statements.


                                      -57-


                               CONMED CORPORATION
                        CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
                  Years Ended December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004
                     (In thousands except per share amounts)



                                                                             2002             2003            2004
                                                                             ----             ----            ----
                                                                                                  
Net sales .................................................               $ 453,062        $ 497,130       $ 558,388

Cost of sales .............................................                 215,891          237,433         271,496
                                                                          ---------        ---------       ---------

Gross profit ..............................................                 237,171          259,697         286,892
                                                                          ---------        ---------       ---------

Selling and administrative expense ........................                 139,735          157,453         183,183

Research and development expense ..........................                  16,087           17,306          20,205

Write-off of purchased in-process
     research and development assets ......................                      --            7,900          16,400

Other expense (income) ....................................                   2,000           (2,917)          3,943
                                                                          ---------        ---------       ---------

                                                                            157,822          179,742         223,731
                                                                          ---------        ---------       ---------

Income from operations ....................................                  79,349           79,955          63,161

Loss on early extinguishment of debt ......................                   1,475            8,078             825

Interest expense ..........................................                  24,513           18,868          12,774
                                                                          ---------        ---------       ---------

Income before income taxes ................................                  53,361           53,009          49,562

Provision for income taxes ................................                  19,210           20,927          16,097
                                                                          ---------        ---------       ---------

Net income ................................................               $  34,151        $  32,082       $  33,465
                                                                          =========        =========       =========

Earnings per share:

         Basic ............................................               $    1.25        $    1.11       $    1.13
         Diluted ..........................................                    1.23             1.10            1.11


                 See notes to consolidated financial statements.


                                      -58-


                               CONMED CORPORATION
                 CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
                  Years Ended December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004
                                 (In thousands)


                                                                                             Accumulated
                                                Common Stock                                    Other
                                                ------------          Paid-in     Retained  Comprehensive   Treasury   Shareholders'
                                             Shares      Amount       Capital     Earnings  Income (Loss)     Stock       Equity
                                             ------      ------       -------     --------  -------------     -----       ------
                                                                                                      
Balance at December 31, 2001 .........        25,262         253       160,757     128,240      (5,197)         (419)      283,634
                                            --------    --------     ---------    --------    --------      --------     ---------

    Common stock issued
        under employee plans .........           546           5         5,012                                               5,017

    Tax benefit arising from
        common stock issued under
        employee plans ...............                                   1,970                                               1,970

    Common stock issuance ............         3,000          30        66,093                                              66,123

    Repurchase of common
        stock warrant ................                                  (2,000)                                             (2,000)

    Comprehensive income:

      Foreign currency
      translation adjustments ........                                                           1,010

      Cash flow hedging
      (net of income tax
         expense of $596) ............                                                           1,058

      Minimum pension liability
      (net of income tax
         benefit of $2,264) ..........                                                          (4,024)

     Net income ......................                                              34,151

    Total comprehensive income .......                                                                                      32,195
                                            --------    --------     ---------    --------    --------      --------     ---------

Balance at December 31, 2002 .........        28,808    $    288     $ 231,832    $162,391    $ (7,153)     $   (419)    $ 386,939
                                            --------    --------     ---------    --------    --------      --------     ---------

    Common stock issued
        under employee plans .........           248           2         3,198                                               3,200

    Tax benefit arising from
        common stock issued
        under employee plans .........                                     390                                                 390

    Common stock issued in
        connection with business
        acquisitions .................            85           1         1,656                                               1,657


                 See notes to consolidated financial statements.

                                   (continued)


                                      -59-


                               CONMED CORPORATION
                 CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
                  Years Ended December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004
                                 (In thousands)



                                                                                            Accumulated
                                                 Common Stock                                  Other
                                               ----------------     Paid-in    Retained    Comprehensive   Treasury    Shareholders'
                                               Shares    Amount     Capital    Earnings    Income (Loss)     Stock        Equity
                                               ------    ------     -------     -------    -------------     -----        ------
                                                                                                   
    Comprehensive income:

      Foreign currency
      translation adjustments .............                                                     3,082

      Cash flow hedging
      (net of income tax
         expense of $593) .................                                                     1,054

      Minimum pension liability
      (net of income tax
         expense of $2,861) ...............                                                     5,086

     Net income ...........................                                       32,082

    Total comprehensive income ............                                                                                41,304
                                               ------    ------    ---------   ---------     --------      ---------    ---------

Balance at December 31, 2003 ..............    29,141    $  291    $ 237,076   $ 194,473     $  2,069      $    (419)   $ 433,490
                                               ======    ======    =========   =========     ========      =========    =========

    Common stock issued
        under employee plans ..............       995        10       15,578                                               15,588

    Tax benefit arising from
        common stock issued
        under employee plans ..............                            3,897                                                3,897

    Repurchase of common stock ............                                                                  (29,989)     (29,989)

Comprehensive income:

      Foreign currency
      translation adjustments .............                                                     2,133

      Cash flow hedging
      (net of income tax
         benefit of $82) ..................                                                      (146)

      Minimum pension liability
      (net of income tax
      benefit of $5,630) ..................                                                   (10,455)

     Net income ...........................                                       33,465

    Total comprehensive income ............                                                                                24,997
                                               ------    ------    ---------   ---------     --------      ---------    ---------

Balance at December 31, 2004 ..............    30,136    $  301    $ 256,551   $ 227,938     $ (6,399)     $ (30,408)   $ 447,983
                                               ======    ======    =========   =========     ========      =========    =========


                 See notes to consolidated financial statements.


                                      -60-


                               CONMED CORPORATION
                      CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
                  Years Ended December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004
                                 (In thousands)



                                                                                     2002            2003            2004
                                                                                     ----            ----            ----
                                                                                                          
Cash flows from operating activities:
    Net income .........................................................          $  34,151        $  32,082       $  33,465
                                                                                  ---------        ---------       ---------
    Adjustments to reconcile net income
      to net cash provided by operating activities:
        Depreciation ...................................................              9,203           10,539          10,962
        Amortization ...................................................             13,167           14,315          15,906
        Deferred income taxes ..........................................             10,664           13,715           4,301
        Income tax benefit of stock
              option exercises .........................................              1,970              390           3,897
        Contributions to pension plans less than
            (in excess of) net pension cost ............................             (1,999)         (11,082)          3,619
        Write-off of purchased in-process
            research and development assets ............................                 --            7,900          16,400
        Write-off of deferred financing costs ..........................              1,475            2,181             825
        Increase (decrease) in cash flows from
            changes in assets and liabilities, net
            of effects from acquisitions:
            Sale of accounts receivable ................................             (3,000)           7,000           5,000
            Accounts receivable ........................................             (2,151)          (6,405)        (19,144)
            Inventories ................................................            (15,213)          (3,411)          1,441
            Accounts payable ...........................................              4,641           (4,732)          4,350
            Income taxes payable .......................................              4,217            2,188          (2,532)
            Accrued compensation and benefits ..........................             (1,584)            (338)          1,626
            Accrued interest ...........................................             (1,160)          (3,515)            469
            Other assets ...............................................             (3,790)          (3,138)         (3,884)
            Other liabilities ..........................................             (2,184)             694          (1,861)
                                                                                  ---------        ---------       ---------
                                                                                     14,256           26,301          41,375
                                                                                  ---------        ---------       ---------
            Net cash provided by operating activities ..................             48,407           58,383          74,840
                                                                                  ---------        ---------       ---------

Cash flows from investing activities:
    Payments related to business acquisitions,
        net of cash acquired ...........................................            (17,375)         (55,079)        (81,645)
    Purchases of property, plant and equipment, net ....................            (13,384)          (9,309)        (12,419)
    Other investing activities .........................................                 --           (4,085)             --
                                                                                  ---------        ---------       ---------
            Net cash used in investing activities ......................            (30,759)         (68,473)        (94,064)
                                                                                  ---------        ---------       ---------

Cash flows from financing activities:
    Net proceeds from issuance of common stock .........................             66,123               --              --
    Net proceeds from common stock issued
        under employee plans ...........................................              5,017            3,200          15,200
    Repurchase of common stock .........................................                 --               --         (29,989)
    Repurchase of warrant on common stock ..............................             (2,000)              --              --
    Redemption of 9.0% senior subordinated notes .......................                 --         (130,000)             --
    Payments on senior credit agreement ................................           (182,997)         (22,000)       (114,937)
    Proceeds of senior credit agreement ................................            105,138          160,000              --
    Payments on mortgage notes .........................................               (683)            (796)         (5,132)


                See notes to consolidated financial statements.
                                   (continued)


                                      -61-


                               CONMED CORPORATION
                      CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
                  Years Ended December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004
                                 (In thousands)



                                                                                     2002             2003             2004
                                                                                     ----             ----             ----
                                                                                                           
Proceeds from issuance of 2.50% convertible
    senior subordinated notes ..........................................                 --               --          150,000
    Payments related to issuance of debt ...............................             (1,513)          (1,950)          (5,848)
Net change in cash overdrafts ..........................................             (3,484)            (373)           6,209
                                                                                  ---------        ---------        ---------

            Net cash provided by (used in) financing
                  activities ...........................................            (14,399)           8,081           15,503
                                                                                  ---------        ---------        ---------

Effect of exchange rate changes
  on cash and cash equivalents .........................................                975            2,369            1,924
                                                                                  ---------        ---------        ---------

Net increase (decrease) in
  cash and cash equivalents ............................................              4,224              360           (1,797)

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning
  of year ..............................................................              1,402            5,626            5,986
                                                                                  ---------        ---------        ---------

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year ...............................          $   5,626        $   5,986        $   4,189
                                                                                  =========        =========        =========

Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:

        Cash paid during the year for:
            Interest ...................................................          $  24,453        $  21,698        $  12,680
            Income taxes ...............................................              5,478            5,507           11,994


Supplemental disclosures of non-cash investing and financing activities:

      As more fully described in Note 2, we assumed $3.4 million,  $12.1 million
and $3.5 million in  liabilities  in connection  with business  acquisitions  in
2002, 2003 and 2004, respectively.

      As more fully  described  in Note 2, during  2003 we issued  approximately
85,000 shares of our common stock valued at  approximately  $1.7 million as part
of the consideration for the purchase of several businesses in 2002.

                 See notes to consolidated financial statements.


                                      -62-


                               CONMED CORPORATION
                   NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
                     (in thousands except per share amounts)

Note 1 -- Operations and Significant Accounting Policies

Organization and operations

      CONMED  Corporation  ("CONMED",  the "Company",  "we" or "us")is a medical
technology company specializing in instruments, implants and video equipment for
arthroscopic  sports medicine and powered surgical  instruments,  such as drills
and saws, for orthopedic,  ENT, neurosurgery and other surgical specialties.  We
are a leading developer,  manufacturer and supplier of RF electrosurgery systems
used  routinely  to cut and  cauterize  tissue in nearly  all types of  surgical
procedures  worldwide,  endosurgery  products  such as trocars,  clip  appliers,
scissors  and surgical  staplers,  and a full line of ECG  electrodes  for heart
monitoring and other patient care products.  We also offer integrated  operating
room  systems  and  equipment.   Our  newest  product  line,  CONMED  Endoscopic
Technologies  offers a  portfolio  of  innovative  disposable  products  used by
gastroenterologists  to diagnose and treat diseases of the digestive  tract. Our
products are used in a variety of clinical  settings,  such as operating  rooms,
surgery centers, physicians' offices and hospitals.

Principles of consolidation

      The  consolidated  financial  statements  include  the  accounts of CONMED
Corporation  and  its  controlled  subsidiaries.  All  significant  intercompany
accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

Use of estimates

      The  preparation  of financial  statements in conformity  with  accounting
principles   generally  accepted  in  the  United  States  of  America  requires
management to make estimates and judgments which affect the reported  amounts of
assets, liabilities,  related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at
the date of the financial  statements,  and the reported  amount of revenues and
expenses  during the reporting  period.  Estimates  are used in accounting  for,
among other things,  allowances for  uncollectible  accounts,  rebates and sales
allowances, inventory allowances, purchased in-process research and development,
pension  benefits,  goodwill  and  intangible  assets,  contingencies  and other
accruals.  We base our estimates on historical  experience  and on various other
assumptions which are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances.  Due to
the inherent uncertainty  involved in making estimates,  actual results reported
in future periods may differ from those estimates. Estimates and assumptions are
reviewed  periodically,  and  the  effect  of  revisions  are  reflected  in the
consolidated  financial  statements  in the  period  they are  determined  to be
necessary.

Cash and cash equivalents

      We consider all highly  liquid  investments  with an original  maturity of
three months or less to be cash equivalents.


                                      -63-


Accounts receivable sale

      On November 1, 2001, we entered into a five-year accounts receivable sales
agreement  pursuant  to  which we and  certain  of our  subsidiaries  sell on an
ongoing basis certain  accounts  receivable  to CONMED  Receivables  Corporation
("CRC"), a wholly-owned, bankruptcy-remote, special-purpose subsidiary of CONMED
Corporation.  CRC may in turn sell up to an aggregate  $50.0  million  undivided
percentage  ownership  interest in such receivables (the "asset  interest") to a
bank ("the  "purchaser").  The  purchaser's  share of  collections  on  accounts
receivable are calculated as defined in the accounts receivable sales agreement,
as amended.  Effectively,  collections on the pool of receivables  flow first to
the purchaser and then to CRC, but to the extent that the  purchaser's  share of
collections may be less than the amount of the purchaser's asset interest, there
is no recourse to CONMED or CRC for such shortfall.  For receivables  which have
been  sold,  CONMED  Corporation  and its  subsidiaries  retain  collection  and
administrative  responsibilities as agent for the purchaser.  As of December 31,
2003 and 2004, the undivided  percentage  ownership interest in receivables sold
by  CRC  to  the  purchaser   aggregated   $44.0  million  and  $49.0   million,
respectively,  which  has  been  accounted  for as a sale and  reflected  in the
balance sheet as a reduction in accounts  receivable.  Expenses  associated with
the sale of accounts  receivable,  including the purchaser's  financing costs to
purchase the accounts  receivable,  were $0.8 million and $1.0 million,  in 2003
and 2004, respectively, and are included in interest expense.

      There are certain statistical ratios,  primarily related to sales dilution
and losses on accounts  receivable,  which must be calculated  and maintained on
the pool of receivables in order to continue selling to the purchaser.  The pool
of receivables is in full compliance with these ratios. Management believes that
additional  accounts receivable arising in the normal course of business will be
of sufficient  quality and quantity to meet the  requirements for sale under the
accounts  receivable sales agreement.  In the event that new accounts receivable
arising  in the  normal  course  of  business  do not  qualify  for  sale,  then
collections  on sold  receivables  will flow to the purchaser  rather than being
used to fund new receivable purchases. To the extent that such collections would
not be available to CONMED in the form of new  receivables  purchases,  we would
need to access an alternate source of working capital,  such as our $100 million
revolving credit facility. Our accounts receivable sales agreement,  as amended,
also  requires us to obtain a commitment  (the  "purchaser  commitment"),  on an
annual  basis,  from  the  purchaser  to  fund  the  purchase  of  our  accounts
receivable.  The purchaser  commitment  was amended  effective  October 20, 2004
whereby it was  extended for an  additional  year under  substantially  the same
terms and conditions.

Inventories

      Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market.  Cost is determined
on the FIFO (first-in, first-out) method of accounting.

Property, plant and equipment

      Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost and depreciated using the
straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives:

      Building and improvements        40 years
      Leasehold improvements           Shorter of life of asset or life of lease
      Machinery and equipment          2 to 15 years


                                      -64-


Goodwill and other intangible assets

      Goodwill  represents  the  excess of  purchase  price  over fair  value of
identifiable  net  assets  of  acquired  businesses.   Other  intangible  assets
primarily  represent  allocations of purchase price to  identifiable  intangible
assets of acquired  businesses.  Goodwill and other  intangible  assets had been
amortized  over periods  ranging from 5 to 40 years  through  December 31, 2001.
Because  of our  history  of growth  through  acquisitions,  goodwill  and other
intangible assets comprise a substantial portion (60.7% at December 31, 2004) of
our total assets.

      In June 2001, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Statement of
Financial  Accounting  Standards No. 142 "Goodwill and Other Intangible  Assets"
("SFAS 142"). We adopted SFAS 142 effective  January 1, 2002. As a result of the
adoption of this standard,  amortization of goodwill and certain intangibles has
been discontinued.

      We perform  impairment tests of goodwill and  indefinite-lived  intangible
assets and evaluate the useful lives of acquired  intangible  assets  subject to
amortization.  These tests and evaluations are performed in accordance with SFAS
142. No impairment losses or adjustments to useful lives have been recognized as
a result of these tests. It is our policy to perform annual  impairment tests in
the fourth quarter.

Other long-lived assets

      We review asset carrying amounts for impairment  (consisting of intangible
assets  subject to  amortization  and property,  plant and  equipment)  whenever
events  or  circumstances  indicate  that  such  carrying  amounts  may  not  be
recoverable.  If the sum of the expected future  undiscounted cash flows is less
than the carrying  amount of the asset,  an  impairment  loss is  recognized  by
reducing the recorded value to its current fair value.

Equity investments

      We have several  investments in the common stock of other companies in our
industry which  represent  less than 20% of the voting stock of these  companies
and in which we do not have the ability to exercise  significant  influence.  We
have  accounted  for these  investments  under the cost method.  We review these
investments for impairment  whenever events or  circumstances  indicate that the
carrying amounts of these investments may not be recoverable.  If the sum of the
expected future  undiscounted cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the
investment,  an impairment  loss is recognized by reducing the recorded value to
its current fair value.

Fair value of financial instruments

      The  carrying  amounts  reported in our  balance  sheets for cash and cash
equivalents,  accounts receivable, accounts payable and long-term debt excluding
the 2.50% convertible senior  subordinated notes (the "Notes")  approximate fair
value. The fair value of the Notes  approximated  $156.0 million at December 31,
2004, based on their quoted market price.

Translation of foreign currency financial statements

      Assets and liabilities of foreign  subsidiaries  have been translated into
United States dollars at the  applicable  rates of exchange in effect at the end
of


                                      -65-


the  period  reported.  Revenues  and  expenses  have  been  translated  at  the
applicable  weighted  average  rates of  exchange  in effect  during  the period
reported.   Translation   adjustments   are  reflected  in   accumulated   other
comprehensive  income (loss).  Transaction  gains and losses are included in net
income.

Income taxes

      We provide for income taxes in accordance  with the provisions of SFAS No.
109,  "Accounting  for Income Taxes" ("SFAS  109").  Under the liability  method
specified  by SFAS 109,  deferred  tax assets and  liabilities  are based on the
difference  between  the  financial  statement  and  tax  basis  of  assets  and
liabilities  as measured by the tax rates that are  anticipated  to be in effect
when these differences  reverse. The deferred tax provision generally represents
the net change in the assets  and  liabilities  for  deferred  tax. A  valuation
allowance is established  when it is necessary to reduce  deferred tax assets to
amounts for which realization is more likely than not.

Revenue recognition

      Revenue is  recognized  when title has been  transferred  to the customer,
which is generally at the time of shipment.  The following policies apply to our
major categories of revenue transactions:

      o     Sales to customers are evidenced by firm purchase orders.  Title and
            the risks and rewards of ownership are  transferred  to the customer
            when product is shipped.  Payment by the customer is due under fixed
            payment terms.

      o     We place certain of our capital  equipment  with customers in return
            for  commitments to purchase  disposable  products over time periods
            generally  ranging from one to three years. In these  circumstances,
            no revenue is  recognized  upon  capital  equipment  shipment and we
            recognize revenue upon the disposable product shipment.  The cost of
            the equipment is amortized  over the term of  individual  commitment
            agreements.

      o     Product  returns are only accepted at the  discretion of the Company
            and in accordance  with our "Returned  Goods Policy".  Historically,
            the level of product returns has not been significant. We accrue for
            sales  returns,  rebates  and  allowances  based upon an analysis of
            historical  customer  returns and credits,  rebates,  discounts  and
            current market conditions.

      o     The  Company's  terms of sale to customers  generally do not include
            any obligations to perform future services.  Limited  warranties are
            generally  provided for capital  equipment  sales and provisions for
            warranty  are  provided  at the time of  product  sale based upon an
            analysis of historical data.

      o     Amounts  billed to customers  related to shipping and handling  have
            been included in net sales.  Shipping and handling costs included in
            selling and administrative  expense were $7.5 million,  $8.3 million
            and $9.3 million for 2002, 2003 and 2004, respectively.


                                      -66-


      o     We sell to a  diversified  base of  customers  around the world and,
            therefore,  believe  there is no  material  concentration  of credit
            risk.

      o     We assess  the risk of loss on  accounts  receivable  and adjust the
            allowance  for  doubtful  accounts  based on this  risk  assessment.
            Historically,  losses on accounts receivable have not been material.
            Management believes that the allowance for doubtful accounts of $1.2
            million at December  31,  2004 is  adequate to provide for  probable
            losses resulting from accounts receivable.

Earnings per share

      We compute  basic  earnings per share ("basic EPS") by dividing net income
by the weighted average number of shares  outstanding for the reporting  period.
Diluted  earnings  per  share  ("diluted  EPS")  gives  effect  to all  dilutive
potential  shares  outstanding  resulting from employee stock options during the
period.  The  following  table sets forth the  calculation  of basic and diluted
earnings per share at December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004, respectively:



                                                           2002            2003          2004
                                                           ----            ----          ----
                                                                              
Net income ...........................................    $34,151        $32,082       $33,465
                                                          =======        =======       =======

Basic-weighted average shares outstanding ............     27,337         28,930        29,523

Effect of dilutive potential securities ..............        490            326           582
                                                          -------        -------       -------

Diluted-weighted average shares outstanding ..........     27,827         29,256        30,105
                                                          =======        =======       =======

Basic EPS                                                 $  1.25        $  1.11       $  1.13
                                                          =======        =======       =======

Diluted EPS                                               $  1.23        $  1.10       $  1.11
                                                          =======        =======       =======


      The shares  used in the  calculation  of diluted  EPS  exclude  options to
purchase  shares  where the exercise  price was greater than the average  market
price of common shares for the year. Such shares  aggregated  approximately  0.7
million,  1.3  million  and 0.1 million at  December  31,  2002,  2003 and 2004,
respectively.  In accordance with EITF (Emerging  Issues Task Force) Issue 04-8,
"The Effect of Contingently Convertible Debt on Diluted Earnings per Share", the
shares used in the  calculation  of diluted EPS  exclude  the  potential  shares
contingently  issuable under our 2.50%  convertible  senior  subordinated  notes
because they are not  dilutive.  The maximum  number of shares we may issue with
respect to the Notes is  5,750,000.  See Note 6 for  further  discussion  of the
Notes.

Stock-based Compensation

      Statement of  Financial  Accounting  Standards  No. 123,  "Accounting  for
Stock-Based  Compensation"  ("SFAS  123")  defines a fair value based  method of
accounting for an employee stock option whereby compensation cost is measured at
the grant date based on the fair value of the award and is  recognized  over the
service  period.  A  company  may elect to adopt  SFAS 123 or elect to  continue
accounting  for its stock  option or similar  equity  awards using the method of
accounting prescribed by Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, "Accounting
for Stock Issued to Employees" ("APB 25"), where  compensation  cost is measured
at the date of grant based on the excess of the market  value of the  underlying
stock over the  exercise  price.  We have elected to continue to account for our
stock-based compensation


                                      -67-


plans  under  the  provisions  of APB  25.  No  compensation  expense  has  been
recognized in the accompanying financial statements relative to our stock option
plans.

      Pro forma  information  regarding  net  income and  earnings  per share is
required  by SFAS 123 and has been  determined  as if we had  accounted  for our
employee  stock  options  under the fair  value  method of that  statement.  The
weighted average fair value of options granted in 2002, 2003 and 2004 was $9.32,
$5.81 and $14.59, respectively. The fair value of these options was estimated at
the date of grant using a Black-Scholes  option pricing model with the following
weighted-average  assumptions  for  options  granted  in 2002,  2003  and  2004,
respectively:  Risk-free  interest rates of 2.70%,  3.13% and 4.04%;  volatility
factors of the expected  market price of the  Company's  common stock of 41.10%,
32.08% and 51.20%; a  weighted-average  expected life of the option of 5.0 years
in 2002 and 2003, and 7.3 years in 2004; and that no dividends  would be paid on
common stock.

      For purposes of the pro forma disclosures, the estimated fair value of the
options is amortized to expense over the options' vesting period.  The following
table  illustrates the effect on net earnings as if the fair value provisions of
SFAS 123 had been applied to stock-based employee compensation:



                                                                                2002            2003           2004
                                                                                ----            ----           ----
                                                                                                    
      Net income -- as reported ........................................       $34,151        $32,082        $33,465
                                                                               -------        -------        -------

      Pro forma stock-based employee
        compensation expense, net of related
        income tax effect ..............................................        (2,156)        (2,383)        (4,598)
                                                                               -------        -------        -------

      Net income -- pro forma ..........................................       $31,995        $29,699        $28,867
                                                                               =======        =======        =======

      Earnings per share - as reported:
          Basic ........................................................       $  1.25        $  1.11        $  1.13
          Diluted ......................................................       $  1.23        $  1.10        $  1.11

      Earnings per share - pro forma:
          Basic ........................................................       $  1.17        $  1.03        $  0.98
          Diluted ......................................................       $  1.15        $  1.02        $  0.96


      In December  2004,  SFAS 123 was revised to require  that all  share-based
payments be recognized in the financial  statements  based on their fair values.
We will be required to adopt  revised SFAS 123 in the third quarter of 2005 (See
additional discussion in Note 14).


                                      -68-


Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) consists of the following:


                                                                                                            Accumulated
                                                                Minimum       Cumulative         Cash          Other
                                                                Pension       Translation        Flow      Comprehensive
                                                               Liability      Adjustments       Hedges     Income (loss)
                                                               ---------      -----------       ------     -------------
                                                                                                 
Balance, December 31, 2003 ..........................                 --        $  1,923       $    146      $  2,069

    Foreign currency translation
      adjustments ...................................                 --           2,133             --         2,133

    Cash flow hedging (net of
      income taxes) .................................                 --              --           (146)         (146)

    Minimum pension liability
    (net of income taxes) ...........................            (10,455)             --             --       (10,455)
                                                                --------        --------       --------      --------

Balance, December 31, 2004 ..........................            (10,455)       $  4,056       $     --      $ (6,399)
                                                                ========        ========       ========      ========


Reclassifications

      Certain  prior year  amounts  have been  reclassified  to conform with the
presentation used in 2004.

Note 2 -- Business Acquisitions

      Assets and  liabilities  of acquired  businesses  are  recorded  under the
purchase  method of accounting at their  estimated fair values as of the date of
acquisition.  Goodwill represents costs in excess of fair values assigned to the
underlying  net assets of  acquired  businesses.  The results of  operations  of
acquired businesses have been included in the consolidated  statements of income
since the date of acquisition.

      In 2002, we completed the  acquisition of several  businesses  relating to
our Patient Care and Endoscopy  product  lines,  including the December 31, 2002
acquisition of CORE  Dynamics,  Inc. (the "CORE  acquisition").  During the same
period,  we also  completed the  acquisition  of two  businesses  engaged in the
design,  manufacture and  installation of integrated  operating room systems and
equipment. Consideration for acquisitions completed during 2002 aggregated $17.4
million in cash,  $1.7  million in CONMED  common  stock and the  assumption  of
approximately  $3.4  million in  liabilities.  Under the terms of certain of the
acquisition agreements, we agreed to pay additional consideration dependent upon
future  sales  or  profitability  and the  satisfactory  execution  of a plan to
transition  and  consolidate  manufacturing  of an  acquired  business  into our
facilities.  Any future  consideration  paid will be recorded in goodwill and is
not  expected  to be  material.  Goodwill  recorded in 2002  approximated  $16.2
million and was deductible for income tax purposes.

      In 2003, we completed  several  acquisitions  relating to our Patient Care
and  Electrosurgery  product  lines  totaling  $6.1 million in cash and recorded
additional  contingent  consideration  related  to  2002  acquisitions  of  $2.0
million.  Goodwill recorded in 2003 related to these  acquisitions  approximated
$5.9 million and was deductible for income tax purposes.  These acquisitions did
not have a  material  effect on our  results  of  operations  for the year ended
December 31, 2003.


                                      -69-


      In March 2003, we also completed the acquisition of Bionx  Implants,  Inc.
(the "Bionx  acquisition")  relating to our Arthroscopy  product line, for $47.0
million  in  cash  plus  the  assumption  of  approximately   $12.1  million  in
liabilities.  The Bionx acquisition was funded primarily  through  borrowings on
our revolving  credit  facility  (See Note 6).  Included in cost of sales during
2003 are $1.3 million of acquisition-related  charges, consisting principally of
the following:  $0.5 million in charges as a result of the step-up to fair value
recorded  related  to the sale of  inventory  acquired  as a result of the Bionx
acquisition  and the CORE  acquisition;  $0.5 million in inventory  charges as a
result of the  discontinuation  of certain of our  Arthroscopy  product lines in
favor of those acquired as a result of the Bionx  acquisition;  and $0.3 million
in  other   transition-related   charges.   An   additional   $3.2   million  in
acquisition-related  costs  incurred  in 2003 not  related to cost of sales have
been recorded in other expense as discussed in Note 12.

      Based on a third-party  valuation,  $7.9 million of the Bionx  acquisition
purchase  price  represents  the estimated  fair value of projects for which the
related  products,  as of the  acquisition  date had not  reached  technological
feasibility  and  had no  future  use.  Accordingly,  the  purchased  in-process
research  and  development  assets  were  written  off in  accordance  with FASB
Interpretation  No.  4,  "Applicability  of FASB  Statement  No.  2 to  Business
Combinations  Accounted for by the Purchase Method". No benefit for income taxes
was  recorded  on the  write-off  of  purchased  IPRD as  these  costs  were not
deductible  for income tax  purposes.  Goodwill  recorded in 2003 related to the
Bionx acquisition  approximated  $25.2 million and was not deductible for income
tax purposes.

      In September  2004, we acquired the business  operations of the Endoscopic
Technologies  Division of C.R.  Bard,  Inc. (the "Bard  Endoscopic  Technologies
acquisition")  for aggregate  consideration  of $81.3 million in cash. We funded
the Bard Endoscopic  Technologies  acquisition through available cash on hand of
$31.3 million with an additional  $50.0 million drawn under our revolving credit
facility  (See Note 6). The  acquired  business  included  various  tangible and
intangible  assets  associated with a comprehensive  line of single-use  medical
devices employed by  gastro-intestinal  and pulmonary physicians to diagnose and
treat  diseases  of the  digestive  tract and  lungs  using  minimally  invasive
endoscopic  techniques.  The  acquired  business  operations  had 2003  revenues
approximating  $54.0 million and is the third largest domestic supplier of these
products to the market.

      Manufacturing  of the acquired  products is currently  being  conducted in
various C.R. Bard  facilities  under a transition  agreement.  It is anticipated
that future  manufacturing  will be integrated  into our  facilities  during the
third quarter of 2005.

      Included  in cost of sales  during 2004 is $2.3  million of expense  which
represents a portion of the step-up to fair value recorded  relating to the sale
of inventory acquired through the Bard Endoscopic Technologies acquisition

      Unaudited pro forma  statements of income for the years ended December 31,
2002, 2003 and 2004,  assuming the Bionx  acquisition  occurred as of January 1,
2002 and 2003 and assuming the Bard Endoscopic Technologies acquisition occurred
as of January 1, 2003 and 2004 are presented  below.  These pro forma statements
of income have been prepared for comparative purposes only and do not purport to
be indicative of the results of operations  which  actually  would have resulted
had the Bionx acquisition and Bard Endoscopic Technologies  acquisition occurred
on the dates indicated, or which may result in the future.


                                      -70-


                                                  2002        2003         2004
                                                  ----        ----         ----

Net sales ................................      $471,530    $555,084    $604,566
Net income ...............................        31,746      28,090      33,749
Net income per share
    Basic ................................      $   1.16    $   0.97    $   1.14
    Diluted ..............................      $   1.14        0.96        1.12

      The following  table  summarizes  the estimated  fair values of the assets
acquired and liabilities assumed in the Bard Endoscopic Technologies acquisition
as of the date of  acquisition.  Goodwill  and  identifiable  intangible  assets
associated with the Bard Endoscopic Technologies  acquisition are deductible for
income tax purposes.

Inventory.................................       $15,544
Property, plant and equipment.............         2,371
Identifiable intangible assets............         6,600
In-process research and development.......        16,400
Goodwill..................................        43,876
                                                 -------

Total assets acquired.....................        84,791
                                                 -------

Current liabilities assumed...............        (3,492)
                                                 -------

Net assets acquired.......................       $81,299
                                                 =======

      Based on a  third-party  valuation,  $16.4  million of the purchase  price
represents  the fair value of  development-stage  projects for which the related
products, as of the acquisition date had not reached technological  feasibility,
had  not  received  regulatory  approval  and  had no  alternative  future  use.
Accordingly,  the entire amount of in-process  research and  development  assets
were written-off in accordance with FASB Interpretation No. 4, "Applicability of
FASB  Statement  No. 2 to Business  Combinations  Accounted  for by the Purchase
Method".  The $16.4  million  write-off  of  purchased  in-process  research and
development assets is deductible for income tax purposes.

      Approximately  62% of the  aggregate  purchased  in-process  research  and
development value relates to next generation  gastro-intestinal  products, which
are  expected  to be  released  between  the  fourth  quarter of 2005 and second
quarter of 2006. The remaining two acquired  projects  include  enhancements and
upgrades to existing device technology, introduction of new device functionality
and the development of new technology for gastro-intestinal applications.

      The value of the in-process  research and development was calculated using
a  discounted  cash  flow  analysis  of the  anticipated  net cash  flow  stream
associated  with  the  in-process  technology  of  the  related  product  sales.
Estimated net cash flows were  discounted  back to their present  values using a
discount rate of 17%,  which was based on the  weighted-average  cost of capital
for publicly-traded  companies within the medical device industry,  adjusted for
the stage of  completion  of each of the  in-process  research  and  development
projects. The risk and return considerations surrounding the stage of completion
were based on costs, man-hours and complexity of the work completed versus to be
completed and other risks associated with achieving commercial  feasibility.  In
total,  these  projects were  approximately  40% complete as of the  acquisition
date. The total budgeted costs for the projects were  approximately $8.5 million
and the  remaining  costs to complete  these  projects were  approximately  $5.0
million as of the acquisition date.


                                      -71-


      The  major  risks  and  uncertainties   associated  with  the  timely  and
successful  completion of these  projects  consist of the ability to confirm the
safety and  efficacy of the  technologies  and  products  based on the data from
clinical trials and obtaining the necessary regulatory  approvals.  In addition,
no assurance may be made that the  underlying  assumptions  used to forecast the
cash  flows or the  timely  and  successful  completion  of such  projects  will
materialize,  as estimated.  For these reasons, among others, actual results may
vary significantly from estimated results.

      The $6.6 million of identifiable  intangible assets consists of trademarks
and tradenames, customer-related intangibles and patents. Components of the fair
value of acquired intangible assets are as follows:



                                                                              Weighted
                                                                              Average
                                                                            Useful Life
                                                         Fair Value           (Years)              Asset
                                                         ----------           -------              -----
                                                                                      
Customer relationships........................            $ 4,900                20            Finite-lived
Patents.......................................            $ 1,300                 9            Finite-lived
Trademarks and tradenames.....................            $   400                              Indefinite-lived


Note 3 -- Inventories

      Inventories consist of the following at December 31,:



                                                                       2003          2004
                                                                       ----          ----
                                                                            
      Raw materials ........................................        $  35,352     $  40,781
      Work in process ......................................           14,583        13,427
      Finished goods .......................................           71,010        73,727
                                                                    ---------     ---------
                                                                    $ 120,945     $ 127,935
                                                                    =========     =========


Note 4 -- Property, Plant and Equipment

      Property, plant and equipment consist of the following at December 31,:



                                                                       2003          2004
                                                                       ----          ----
                                                                            
      Land .................................................        $   4,200     $   4,200
      Building and improvements ............................           75,224        78,637
      Machinery and equipment ..............................           83,105        92,789
      Construction in progress .............................            3,768         3,675
                                                                    ---------     ---------
                                                                      166,297       179,301
                Less: Accumulated depreciation .............          (68,914)      (77,836)
                                                                    ---------     ---------
                                                                    $  97,383     $ 101,465
                                                                    =========     =========


      We lease various manufacturing facilities, office facilities and equipment
under  operating   leases.   Rental  expense  on  these  operating   leases  was
approximately


                                      -72-


$2,064,  $1,959 and $2,649 for the years ended December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004,
respectively.  The  aggregate  future  minimum lease  commitments  for operating
leases at December 31, 2004 are as follows:

          2005..................................         $2,796
          2006..................................          2,701
          2007..................................          2,507
          2008..................................          2,261
          2009..................................          1,534
          Thereafter............................          2,191

Note 5 - Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

      The  changes in the net  carrying  amount of  goodwill  for the year ended
December 31, are as follows:

                                                           2003           2004
                                                           ----           ----

Balance as of January 1, .......................        $ 262,394     $ 290,562

Goodwill acquired ..............................           31,210        43,876

Adjustments to goodwill resulting from business
  acquisitions finalized .......................           (3,285)          176

Foreign currency translation ...................              243          (131)
                                                        ---------     ---------

Balance as of December 31, .....................        $ 290,562     $ 334,483
                                                        =========     =========

      Goodwill associated with each of our principal operating units at December
31, is as follows:

                                                           2003           2004
                                                           ----           ----

CONMED Electrosurgery ..........................        $  15,961     $  16,249

CONMED Endoscopic Technologies .................               --        43,876

CONMED Endosurgery .............................           42,367        42,388

CONMED Linvatec ................................          175,594       175,120

CONMED  Patient Care ...........................           56,640        56,850
                                                        ---------     ---------

Balance as of December 31, .....................        $ 290,562     $ 334,483
                                                        =========     =========


                                      -73-


Other intangible assets consist of the following:



                                                                     December 31, 2003               December 31, 2004
                                                                     -----------------               -----------------
                                                                 Gross                            Gross
                                                               Carrying        Accumulated       Carrying       Accumulated
Amortized intangible assets:                                    Amount         Amortization       Amount       Amortization
                                                                ------         ------------       ------       ------------
                                                                                                     
Customer relationships .............................          $ 105,712          $ (15,447)      $ 110,612       $ (18,290)

Patents and other intangible assets ................             33,258            (16,498)         35,444         (19,876)

Unamortized intangible assets:

Trademarks and tradenames ..........................             86,944                 --          87,344              --
                                                              ---------          ---------       ---------       ---------

                                                              $ 225,914          $ (31,945)      $ 233,400       $ (38,166)
                                                              =========          =========       =========       =========


      Other intangible assets primarily represent  allocations of purchase price
to identifiable  intangible assets of acquired businesses.  The weighted average
amortization  period for  intangible  assets  which are  amortized  is 22 years.
Customer  relationships  are being amortized over a weighted  average life of 37
years.  Patents and other intangible  assets are being amortized over a weighted
average life of 10 years.

      Customer  relationship  assets were acquired in  connection  with the 1997
acquisition  of  Linvatec  Corporation,  2003  Bionx  acquisition  and 2004 Bard
Endoscopic Technologies acquisition. These assets represent the value associated
with  business  expected  to be  generated  from  acquired  customers  as of the
acquisition date. Asset values were determined by measuring the present value of
the projected future earnings attributable to these assets. Additionally,  while
the useful  lives of these  assets  are not  limited  by  contract  or any other
economic, regulatory or other known factors, the weighted average useful life of
37 years was determined as of acquisition date by historical customer attrition.
In accordance  with SFAS 142 and as clarified by EITF Issue 02-17,  "Recognition
of Customer Relationship  Intangible Assets Acquired in a Business Combination",
customer relationships  evidenced by customer purchase orders are contractual in
nature and therefore  continue to be  recognized  separate from goodwill and are
amortized over their weighted average 37 year life.

      Trademarks  and  tradenames  were  recognized in connection  with the 1997
acquisition  of  Linvatec  Corporation,  2003  Bionx  acquisition  and 2004 Bard
Endoscopic Technologies acquisition. We continue to market products, release new
product and product  extensions  and maintain and promote these  trademarks  and
tradenames in the  marketplace  through legal  registration  and such methods as
advertising,  medical  education  and trade  shows.  It is our belief that these
trademarks  and tradenames  will generate cash flow for an indefinite  period of
time.  Therefore,  in accordance  with SFAS 142, our  trademarks  and tradenames
intangible assets are not amortized.


                                      -74-


      Amortization  expense  related to  intangible  assets for the year  ending
December  31,  2004  and  estimated  amortization  expense  for each of the five
succeeding years is as follows:

                      2004                    $ 6,221
                      2005                      5,646
                      2006                      5,077
                      2007                      5,064
                      2008                      4,950
                      2009                      4,556

Note 6 -- Long Term Debt

      Long-term debt consists of the following at December 31,:

                                                              2003       2004
                                                              ----       ----

Revolving line of credit ..............................    $     --    $     --

Term loan borrowings on senior credit facility ........     243,000     128,063

2.50% Convertible senior subordinated notes ...........          --     150,000

Mortgage notes ........................................      21,591      16,459
                                                           --------    --------

        Total long-term debt ..........................     264,591     294,522

Less: Current portion .................................       4,143       4,037
                                                           --------    --------

                                                           $260,448    $290,485
                                                           ========    ========

      Effective  August  28,  2002  we  entered  into a  $200.0  million  credit
agreement  (the "senior credit  agreement")  with JP Morgan Chase Bank and other
financial  institutions  from time to time  party  thereto.  The  senior  credit
agreement  consisted of a $100.0 million  revolving credit facility and a $100.0
million term loan. During 2002,  deferred  financing costs in the amount of $1.5
million which related to the  approximately  three years  remaining on the prior
credit agreement were written-off as a loss on the early extinguishment of debt.

      Effective  June 30, 2003 we entered  into an Amended and  Restated  Credit
Agreement (the "amended senior credit  agreement")  whereby the term loan amount
was increased by $160.0 million. Proceeds of the amended senior credit agreement
were used to reduce  outstanding  borrowings on the revolving  credit  facility,
fund the  redemption  of  $130.0  million  in 9.0%  senior  subordinated  notes,
including  accrued  interest,  fund  payment of 4.5% call  premium on the senior
subordinated  notes and fund bank and legal fees  associated with the amendment.
During  2003,  we  recorded  a loss on the early  extinguishment  of debt in the
amount of $8.1  million.  This amount  represents  $5.9 million of the 4.5% call
premium and $2.2 million of unamortized deferred financing costs associated with
the redemption of the 9.0% senior subordinated notes.

      At December 31, 2004 the amended  senior credit  agreement  consisted of a
$100.0 million  revolving  credit facility and a $128.1 million term loan. There
were no borrowings  outstanding on the revolving credit facility at December 31,
2004. The term loan is scheduled to be repaid in quarterly  installments  over a
period of  approximately  5 years,  with  scheduled  principal  payments of $2.6
million  annually  through December 2007 increasing to $60.3 million in 2008 and
the


                                      -75-


remaining  balance  outstanding  due in  2009.  We may also be  required,  under
certain  circumstances,  to make additional  principal  payments based on excess
cash flow as defined in the amended  senior credit  agreement.  No such payments
were  required  during 2003 and 2004.  Interest  rates on the term  facility and
revolving credit facility are at LIBOR plus 2.25% (4.65% at December 31, 2004).

      The amended senior credit agreement is collateralized by substantially all
of our personal  property and assets,  except for our  accounts  receivable  and
related rights which have been sold in connection  with our accounts  receivable
sales agreement (See Note 1). The senior credit agreement contains covenants and
restrictions  which, among other things,  require maintenance of certain working
capital levels and financial ratios, prohibit dividend payments and restrict the
incurrence of certain indebtedness and other activities,  including acquisitions
and dispositions. The senior credit agreement contains a material adverse effect
clause  which  could limit our ability to access  additional  funding  under our
revolving  credit  facility  should a material  adverse  change in our  business
occur.  We are also  required,  under certain  circumstances,  to make mandatory
prepayments from net cash proceeds from any issue of equity and asset sales.

      Outstanding  debt assumed in connection with the 2001 purchase of property
in Largo,  Florida utilized by our CONMED Linvatec subsidiary consists of a note
bearing  interest at 7.50% per annum with  semiannual  payments of principal and
interest through June 2009 (the "Class A note");  and a note bearing interest at
8.25%  per  annum  compounded   semiannually  through  June  2009,  after  which
semiannual payments of principal and interest will commence,  continuing through
June 2019 (the "Class C note"). The principal balances  outstanding on the Class
A note and Class C note aggregated $8.3 million and $8.2 million,  respectively,
at December 31, 2004. These loans are secured by our Largo, Florida property.

      On November 11 2004, we completed an offering, in a private placement,  of
$150.0  million in 2.50%  convertible  senior  subordinated  notes due 2024. The
Notes represent our subordinated unsecured obligations and are convertible under
the  following  circumstances,   as  defined  in  the  bond  indenture,  into  a
combination  of cash and CONMED  common  stock:  when the  closing  price of our
common stock for each of 20 or more  consecutive  trading days in a period of 30
consecutive trading days exceeds 130% of the applicable  conversion price; after
any 10  consecutive  trading day period in which the average  trading  price per
$1,000  principal  amount  of the  Notes  was  equal to or less  than 97% of the
average  conversion  value of the Notes; if we call a Note for  redemption;  and
based  on  certain  corporate  transactions  such  as  if  we  are  party  to  a
consolidation,  merger  or  binding  share  exchange  in  which  over 50% of our
outstanding  shares of common stock would be converted into cash,  securities or
other  property,  or if  another  fundamental  change  (as  defined  in the bond
indenture)  occurs.  Upon  conversion,  the holder of each Note will receive the
conversion  value of the Note payable in cash up to the principal  amount of the
Note and CONMED common stock for the Note's  conversion  value in excess of such
principal  amount.  Amounts in excess of the principal  amount are at an initial
conversion rate,  subject to adjustment,  of 26.1849 shares per $1,000 principal
amount of the Note (which  represents an initial  conversion price of $38.19 per
share). The Notes mature on November 15, 2024 and are not redeemable by us prior
to  November  15,  2011.  Holders of the Notes  will be able to require  that we
repurchase some or all of the Notes on November 15, 2011, 2014 and 2019.

      We have  determined that the Notes contain two embedded  derivatives.  The
embedded  derivatives are recorded at fair value in other long-term  liabilities
and changes in their value are recorded  through the  consolidated  statement of
income. The embedded derivatives have a nominal value, and it is our belief that
any change


                                      -76-


in their fair value would not have a material  adverse  effect on our  business,
financial condition or results of operations.

      The Notes offering resulted in gross proceeds of $150.0 million, less $5.8
million in initial  purchaser's  discount and other  offering  related  payments
which are being  amortized  to interest  expense  over a 7 year  period  through
November 15, 2011 (the  earliest  date at which we may be required to repurchase
some or all of the Notes).  Net proceeds from the offering and cash on hand were
used to repay  $82.2  million  on the term loan and a further  $45.0  million in
borrowings  then  outstanding on the revolving  credit facility under our senior
credit agreement. (The revolving credit facility borrowings were used to finance
a  portion  of  the  Bard  Endoscopic  Technologies  acquisition--See  Note  2).
Additionally,  in conjunction  with the Notes  offering,  we  repurchased  $30.0
million of our common stock in privately negotiated transactions. As a result of
the $82.2  million  prepayment  on the term loan,  we recorded  $0.8  million in
losses  on  the  early  extinguishment  of  debt  related  to the  write-off  of
unamortized deferred financing fees.

      The scheduled  maturities of long-term  debt  outstanding  at December 31,
2004 are as follows:

                  2005.........................            $  4,037
                  2006.........................               4,208
                  2007.........................               4,393
                  2008.........................              62,342
                  2009.........................              61,770
                  Thereafter...................             157,772

Note 7 -- Income Taxes

      The provision for income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2002, 2003
and 2004 consists of the following:

                                                     2002       2003       2004
                                                     ----       ----       ----
      Current tax expense:
          Federal .............................    $ 7,251    $ 5,486    $ 9,138
          State ...............................        540        665        975
          Foreign .............................        755      1,061      1,683
                                                   -------    -------    -------
                                                     8,546      7,212     11,796
      Deferred income tax expense .............     10,664     13,715      4,301
                                                   -------    -------    -------
          Provision for income taxes ..........    $19,210    $20,927    $16,097
                                                   =======    =======    =======


                                      -77-


      A  reconciliation  between income taxes computed at the statutory  federal
rate and the provision  for income taxes for the years ended  December 31, 2002,
2003 and 2004 follows:

                                                         2002     2003     2004
                                                         ----     ----     ----
      Tax provision at statutory rate based
          on income before income taxes ............    35.00%   35.00%   35.00%

      Extraterritorial income exclusion ............    (1.78)   (2.36)   (5.30)

      State income taxes ...........................      .66      .90     2.75

      Nondeductible intangible amortization ........      .17      .17      .18

      Nondeductible write-off of purchased
         in-process research and developments assets       --     5.22       --

      Other nondeductible permanent differences ....      .40      .51      .36

      Other, net ...................................     1.55      .04     (.51)
                                                        -----    -----    -----

                                                        36.00%   39.48%   32.48%
                                                        =====    =====    =====

      The tax effects of the significant  temporary  differences  which comprise
the  deferred  tax assets and  liabilities  at December 31, 2003 and 2004 are as
follows:

                                                            2003          2004
                                                            ----          ----
Assets:

        Inventory ....................................    $  8,948     $ 10,791
        Net operating losses of acquired subsidiaries       11,025        8,025
        Deferred compensation ........................       1,361        1,602
        Accounts receivable ..........................         262          509
        Additional minimum pension liability .........          --        5,630
        Other ........................................       2,390        2,024
        Valuation allowance ..........................      (8,462)      (5,887)
                                                          --------     --------

                                                            15,524       22,694
                                                          --------     --------

Liabilities:

        Goodwill and intangible assets ...............      43,695       51,707
        Depreciation .................................       5,721        6,412
        Employee benefits ............................       1,980        1,530
        State taxes ..................................          --          745
        Interest rate swap ...........................          83           --
                                                          --------     --------

                                                            51,479       60,394
                                                          --------     --------

Net liability ........................................    $(35,955)    $(37,700)
                                                          ========     ========


                                      -78-


      Earnings  before income taxes  consists of the following  U.S. and foreign
income:

                                                   2002       2003       2004
                                                   ----       ----       ----

      U.S. income ........................       $51,198    $49,275    $45,876
      Foreign income .....................         2,163      3,734      3,686
                                                 -------    -------    -------

      Total income .......................       $53,361    $53,009    $49,562
                                                 =======    =======    =======

      The net operating loss  carryforwards  of acquired  subsidiaries  begin to
expire in 2008.  We have  established  a  valuation  allowance  to  reflect  the
uncertainty   of  realizing   the  benefits  of  certain  net   operating   loss
carryforwards   recognized  in  connection  with  the  Bionx  acquisition.   Any
subsequently  recognized tax benefits  associated  with the valuation  allowance
would be allocated to reduce goodwill.

      On October 22, 2004 , the President  signed the American Jobs Creation Act
of 2004 (the  "Act").  The Act  provides a deduction  for income from  qualified
domestic production activities,  which will be phased in from 2005 through 2010.
In return,  the Act also  provides  for a  two-year  phase-out  of the  existing
extra-territorial income exclusion (ETI) for foreign sales that was viewed to be
inconsistent with international trade protocols by the European Union.

      Under the guidance in FASB Staff  Position No. FAS 109-1,  Application  of
FASB Statement No. 109,  "Accounting  for Income Taxes," to the Tax Deduction on
Qualified  Production  Activities  Provided by the American Jobs Creation Act of
2004,  the  deduction  will be treated as a "special  deduction" as described in
FASB Statement No. 109. As such, the special deduction has no effect on deferred
tax assets and liabilities existing at the enactment date. Rather, the impact of
this  deduction will be reported in the period in which the deduction is claimed
on our tax return.

      The Act creates a temporary incentive for U.S.  corporations to repatriate
accumulated  income earned abroad by providing an 85 percent dividends  received
deduction  for certain  dividends  from  controlled  foreign  corporations.  The
deduction is subject to a number of  limitations  and, as of today,  uncertainty
remains as to how to interpret numerous provisions in the Act. We are not yet in
a position to decide on whether, and to what extent, we might repatriate foreign
earnings  that have not yet been  remitted to the U.S. We have not  provided for
federal income taxes on the undistributed  earnings of our foreign operations as
it has  been  our  intention  to  permanently  reinvest  undistributed  earnings
(approximately $11.1 million as of December 31, 2004).

Note 8 -- Shareholders' Equity

      The  shareholders  have authorized  500,000 shares of preferred stock, par
value $.01 per share,  which may be issued in one or more series by the Board of
Directors  without further action by the  shareholders.  As of December 31, 2003
and 2004, no preferred stock had been issued.

      In connection with the 1997 acquisition of Linvatec Corporation, we issued
to Bristol-Myers Squibb Company a warrant exercisable in whole or in part for up
to 1.5 million shares of our common stock at a price of $22.82 per share. On May
6, 2002,  we  purchased  the warrant for $2.0  million in cash and  subsequently
cancelled  it. The  purchase  resulted in a $2.0  million  reduction  to paid-in
capital.


                                      -79-


      On May 29, 2002, we completed a public  offering of 3.0 million  shares of
our common stock. Net proceeds from the offering  approximated $66.1 million and
were used to reduce indebtedness under our credit facility.

      In November 2004, we repurchased 1.1 million shares of our common stock in
privately  negotiated  transactions  at an aggregate  cost of $30 million.  This
repurchase  coincided  with our  2.50%  convertible  senior  subordinated  notes
transaction (See Note 6).

      On February 15, 2005, our Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase
program  under which we may  repurchase up to $50.0 million of our common stock,
although no more than $25.0 million may be purchased in any calendar  year.  The
repurchase  program  calls for shares to be  purchased  in the open market or in
private  transactions from time to time. We may suspend or discontinue the share
repurchase program at any time.

      We have  reserved  6.7  million  shares of common  stock for  issuance  to
employees  and  directors  under three stock option plans (the "Plans") of which
approximately 696,000 shares remain available for grant at December 31, 2004. In
May 2004,  the total number of shares  available  for issuance to employees  and
directors  under the Plans was  increased  by 1.0 million  shares.  The exercise
price on all outstanding options is equal to the quoted fair market value of the
stock at the date of grant.  Stock  options are  non-transferable  other than on
death and  generally  become  exercisable  over a five year  period from date of
grant and expire ten years from date of grant.

      The following is a summary of incentive  stock option  activity  under the
Plans:

                                                                       Weighted-
                                                            Number      Average
                                                              of       Exercise
                                                            Options      Price
                                                            -------      -----

Outstanding at December 31, 2001 .....................       3,434        14.69
        Granted ......................................         742        23.42
        Forfeited ....................................         (40)       15.27
        Exercised ....................................        (546)        8.88
                                                            ------       ------

Outstanding at December 31, 2002 .....................       3,590        17.27
        Granted ......................................         669        17.44
        Forfeited ....................................         (84)       19.49
        Exercised ....................................        (181)       11.84
                                                            ------       ------

Outstanding at December 31, 2003 .....................       3,994       $17.55
        Granted ......................................         659        25.03
        Forfeited ....................................        (152)       19.16
        Exercised ....................................        (940)       15.28
                                                            ------       ------

Outstanding at December 31, 2004 .....................       3,561       $19.45
                                                            ======       ======

Exercisable:
        December 31, 2002 ............................       1,875       $15.55
        December 31, 2003 ............................       2,590        17.19
        December 31, 2004 ............................       2,435        18.90


                                      -80-




                                                                                     Stock
                                                                    Weighted        Options        Weighted
                              Stock Options         Weighted         Average      Exercisable      Average
         Range of            Outstanding at    Average Remaining    Exercise    at December 31,    Exercise
     Exercise Prices        December 31,2004     Life (Years)        Price            2004          Price
     ---------------        ----------------     ------------        -----      ---------------     -----
                                                                                     
    $5.89  to $8.84                    5              0.4            $ 8.28               5         $ 8.28
    $8.84  to $11.78                  69              4.4              9.90              51          10.04
    $11.78 to $14.73                 566              5.5             14.23             465          14.20
    $14.73 to $17.67                 693              4.6             16.26             564          16.36
    $17.67 to $20.62                 974              6.5             18.90             661          19.11
    $20.62 to $23.56                 383              7.6             21.80             148          21.72
    $23.56 to $26.50                 795              8.6             25.45             541          25.48
    $26.50 to $29.50                  76              9.2             29.45              --             --
                                   -----                                             -----
                Total              3,561                                             2,435
                                   =====                                             =====


      During 2002 we adopted a shareholder-approved Employee Stock Purchase Plan
(the "Employee Plan"), under which we have reserved 1.0 million shares of common
stock for issuance to our employees.  The Employee Plan provides  employees with
the  opportunity  to invest  from 1% to 10% of their  annual  salary to purchase
shares of CONMED common stock  through the exercise of stock options  granted by
the Company at a purchase price equal to the lesser of (1)85% of the fair market
value of the common stock at the beginning of a  semi-annual  period and (2) 85%
of the fair  market  value of the  common  stock at the end of such  semi-annual
period. During 2004, we issued approximately 55,000 shares of common stock under
the Employee Plan. No stock-based  compensation  expense has been  recognized in
the accompanying  consolidated  financial statements as a result of common stock
issuances under the Employee Plan.

Note 9 -- Business Segments and Geographic Areas

      CONMED  conducts its  business  through five  principal  operating  units,
CONMED  Endoscopic  Technologies,  CONMED  Endosurgery,  CONMED  Electrosurgery,
CONMED  Linvatec  and CONMED  Patient  Care.  In  accordance  with  Statement of
Financial  Accounting  Standards  No.  131  "Disclosures  About  Segments  of an
Enterprise  and  Related   Information"   ("SFAS  131"),   our  chief  operating
decision-maker has been identified as the President and Chief Operating Officer,
who reviews  operating results and makes resource  allocation  decisions for the
entire company.  All five operating units qualify for aggregation under SFAS 131
due  to  their   identical   customer   base  and   similarities   in   economic
characteristics, nature of products and services, procurement, manufacturing and
distribution  processes.   Based  upon  the  aggregation  criteria  for  segment
reporting,  we have grouped our operating units into a single segment  comprised
of  medical   instruments  and  systems  used  in  surgical  and  other  medical
procedures.

      The following is net sales information by product line:

                                                2002        2003         2004
                                                ----        ----         ----
      Arthroscopy ........................    $162,532    $182,061    $204,887
      Powered Surgical Instruments  ......     114,302     122,031     128,572
      Electrosurgery .....................      69,674      77,337      85,912
      Patient Care .......................      69,753      69,937      75,879
      Endosurgery ........................      36,801      45,764      47,400
      Endoscopic Technologies ............          --          --      15,738
                                              --------    --------    --------
      Total ..............................    $453,062    $497,130    $558,388
                                              ========    ========    ========


                                      -81-


      The following is net sales information for geographic areas:

                                             2002          2003           2004
                                             ----          ----           ----

      United States .................      $320,312      $333,473      $364,819
      Canada ........................        15,980        24,620        27,384
      United Kingdom ................        18,625        19,883        27,120
      Japan .........................        18,820        18,265        19,793
      All other countries ...........        79,325       100,889       119,272
                                           --------      --------      --------
      Total .........................      $453,062      $497,130      $558,388
                                           ========      ========      ========

      Sales are  attributed to countries  based on the location of the customer.
There were no significant  investments in long-lived  assets located outside the
United States at December 31, 2003 and 2004. No single customer represented over
10% of our  consolidated  net sales for the years ended December 31, 2002,  2003
and 2004.

Note 10 -- Employee Benefit Plans

      We sponsor an employee  savings plan ("401(k) plan") and a defined benefit
pension plan (the "pension  plan")  covering  substantially  all our  employees.
Overall  benefit levels  provided under the pension plan were reduced  effective
January 1, 2004 resulting in a reduction in the projected benefit  obligation of
approximately $6.4 million.

      Total employer  contributions  to the 401(k) plan were $2.0 million,  $2.2
million and $1.8 million  during the years ended  December  31,  2002,  2003 and
2004, respectively.

      We use a December 31, measurement date for our pension plan.  Unrecognized
gains and  losses  are  amortized  on a  straight-line  basis  over the  average
remaining service period of active participants.  The following table provides a
reconciliation  of the  projected  benefit  obligation,  plan  assets and funded
status of the pension plan at December 31,:

                                                            2003         2004
                                                            ----         ----

Accumulated Benefit Obligation                            $ 32,044     $ 43,337
                                                          ========     ========

Change in benefit obligation
Projected benefit obligation at beginning of year ....    $ 33,639     $ 38,878
Adjustment for plan amendment ........................          --       (6,352)
Service cost .........................................       4,167        3,144
Interest cost ........................................       2,419        2,377
Actuarial loss .......................................       6,794       13,759
Benefits paid ........................................      (8,141)      (2,934)
                                                          --------     --------
Projected benefit obligation at end of year ..........    $ 38,878     $ 48,872
                                                          --------     --------

Change in plan assets
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year .......    $ 18,169     $ 33,632
Actual gain on plan assets ...........................       4,075        2,490
Employer contribution ................................      19,529           --
Benefits paid ........................................      (8,141)      (2,934)
                                                          --------     --------
Fair value of plan assets at end of year .............    $ 33,632     $ 33,188
                                                          --------     --------


                                      -82-


Change in funded status
Funded status ....................................    $  5,246         $ 15,684
Unrecognized net actuarial loss ..................     (14,634)         (27,461)
Unrecognized transition liability ................         (48)             (44)
Unrecognized prior service cost ..................        (118)           5,886
Additional minimum pension liability .............          --           16,084
                                                      --------         --------
Accrued (prepaid) pension cost ...................    $ (9,554)        $ 10,149
                                                      ========         ========

      Amounts  recognized  in the  consolidated  balance  sheets  consist of the
following at December 31,:

                                                          2003            2004
                                                          ----            ----

Accrued pension liability ........................      $     --       $ 10,149
Prepaid pension asset ............................        (9,554)            --
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) ....            --        (16,084)
                                                        --------       --------

Net amount recognized ............................      $ (9,554)      $ (5,935)
                                                        ========       ========

      The following actuarial assumptions were used to determine our accumulated
and projected benefit obligations as of December 31,:

                                                                2003       2004
                                                                ----       ----
Discount rate ....................................              6.25%      5.75%
Expected return on plan assets ...................              8.00%      8.00%
Rate of compensation increase ....................              3.00%      3.00%

      Additionally,  as of December 31, 2004, the Company  changed from the 1984
Unisex Pension  mortality  table to the 1994 Group Annuity  Reserving  mortality
table for purposes of determining expected mortality.

      Net periodic  pension cost for the years ended December 31, consist of the
following:

                                                   2002       2003        2004
                                                   ----       ----        ----

Service cost -- benefits earned during
    the period ..............................    $ 3,988    $ 4,167     $ 3,144
Interest cost on projected benefit obligation      2,002      2,419       2,377
Expected return on plan assets ..............     (1,595)    (1,728)     (2,562)
Net amortization and deferral ...............        350        750         660
Settlement loss .............................         --      2,839          --
                                                 -------    -------     -------
Net periodic pension cost ...................    $ 4,745    $ 8,447     $ 3,619
                                                 =======    =======     =======

      During the year-ended  December 31, 2003, we recognized  settlement losses
of $2.8 million. See Note 12 for further discussion.

      During the year ended December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004,  respectively,  we
recognized  a  comprehensive  loss  of  $4.0  million,   net  of  income  taxes,
comprehensive  income of $5.1 million,  net of income taxes, and a comprehensive
loss of $10.5  million,  net of  income  taxes,  as a result of  changes  in the
additional minimum pension liability required to be recognized.


                                      -83-


      The  following  actuarial  assumptions  were  used  to  determine  our net
periodic  pension  benefit cost for the years ended December 31,:

                                                       2002      2003       2004
                                                       ----      ----       ----

Discount rate ....................................     7.00%     6.75%     6.25%
Expected return on plan assets ...................     8.00%     8.00%     8.00%
Rate of compensation increase ....................     3.00%     3.00%     3.00%

      In determining the expected return on pension plan assets, we consider the
relative  weighting of plan assets,  the  historical  performance  of total plan
assets and individual  asset classes and economic and other indicators of future
performance.  In addition,  we consult with financial and investment  management
professionals in developing appropriate targeted rates of return.

      Asset  management  objectives  include  maintaining  an adequate  level of
diversification  to reduce interest rate and market risk and providing  adequate
liquidity to meet immediate and future benefit payment requirements.

      The  allocation  of  pension  plan  assets by  category  is as  follows at
December 31,:

                                               Percentage of Pension    Target
                                                    Plan Assets       Allocation
                                                 2003        2004        2005
                                                 ----        ----        ----

Equity securities .......................         41%          48%        55%
Debt securities .........................         49           35         35
Other ...................................         10           17         10
                                                 ---          ---        ---
Net periodic pension cost ...............        100%         100%       100%
                                                 ===          ===        ===

      As of December 31, 2004,  the Plan held 27,562 shares of our common stock,
which had a fair value of $0.7  million.  We believe  that our  long-term  asset
allocation on average will  approximate  the targeted  allocation.  We regularly
review our actual asset allocation and periodically rebalance the pension plan's
investments to our targeted allocation when deemed appropriate.

      Our 2005 pension plan funding is not expected to exceed $4.5 million.

      The following  table  summarizes  the benefits  expected to be paid by our
pension plan in each of the next five years and in aggregate  for the  following
five years.  The  expected  benefit  payments  are  estimated  based on the same
assumptions  used to measure  the  Company's  projected  benefit  obligation  at
December 31, 2004 and reflect the impact of expected future employee service.

            2005.......................................    $  2,570
            2006.......................................       2,841
            2007.......................................       2,609
            2008.......................................       2,194
            2009.......................................       2,909
            2010-2014..................................      19,196


                                      -84-


Note 11 -- Legal Matters

      From time to time, we are a defendant in certain lawsuits alleging product
liability, patent infringement,  or other claims incurred in the ordinary course
of business.  These claims are generally covered by various insurance  policies,
subject to certain deductible  amounts and maximum policy limits.  When there is
no insurance  coverage,  as would  typically  be the case  primarily in lawsuits
alleging patent infringement, we establish sufficient reserves to cover probable
losses  associated with such claims. We do not expect that the resolution of any
pending claims will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or
results of operations.  There can be no assurance,  however, that future claims,
the costs  associated with claims,  especially  claims not covered by insurance,
will not have a material adverse effect on our future performance.

      Manufacturers of medical products may face exposure to significant product
liability  claims.  To  date,  we have  not  experienced  any  material  product
liability  claims,  but any such  claims  arising  in the  future  could  have a
material  adverse effect on our business or results of operations.  We currently
maintain  commercial product liability insurance of $25 million per incident and
$25  million in the  aggregate  annually,  which we believe  is  adequate.  This
coverage is on a claims-made  basis.  There can be no assurance that claims will
not exceed  insurance  coverage or that such  insurance will be available in the
future at a reasonable cost to us.

      Our  operations  are  subject  to  a  number  of  environmental  laws  and
regulations governing, among other things, air emissions, wastewater discharges,
the use,  handling  and disposal of hazardous  substances  and wastes,  soil and
groundwater  remediation and employee health and safety.  In some  jurisdictions
environmental  requirements  may be  expected to become  more  stringent  in the
future. In the United States certain environmental laws can impose liability for
the  entire  cost of site  restoration  upon each of the  parties  that may have
contributed  to conditions at the site  regardless of fault or the lawfulness of
the  party's  activities.  While we do not  believe  that the  present  costs of
environmental compliance and remediation are material, there can be no assurance
that future compliance or remedial obligations could not have a material adverse
effect on our financial condition or results of operations.

      In November  2003,  the Company  commenced  litigation  against  Johnson &
Johnson and several of its subsidiaries,  including Ethicon,  Inc. for violation
of federal and state  antitrust  laws. The lawsuit claims that Johnson & Johnson
engaged in illegal and anticompetitive  conduct with respect to sales of product
used in  endoscopic  surgery,  resulting in higher  prices to consumers  and the
exclusion of  competition.  We have sought  relief which  includes an injunction
restraining  Johnson & Johnson from continuing its  anticompetitive  practice as
well as  receiving  the  maximum  amount of damages  allowed by law.  Our claims
against Johnson & Johnson are currently in the discovery stage. While we believe
that our claims are  well-grounded  in fact and law,  there can be no  assurance
that we will be successful in our claim. In addition,  the costs associated with
pursuing this claim,  which approximated $1.3 million in the year ended December
31, 2004, may be material.


                                      -85-


Note 12 -- Other expense (income)

      Other  expense  (income) for the year ended  December 31,  consists of the
following:

                                                    2002       2003        2004
                                                    ----       ----        ----

Termination of product offering ..............    $    --    $    --     $ 2,396
Gain on settlement of a contractual dispute,
    net of legal costs .......................         --     (9,000)         --
Pension settlement costs .....................         --      2,839          --
Acquisition-related costs ....................         --      3,244       1,547
Loss on settlement of a patent dispute .......      2,000         --          --
                                                  -------    -------     -------
    Other expense (income) ...................    $ 2,000    $(2,917)    $ 3,943
                                                  -------    -------     -------

      In March  2003,  we agreed to settle a patent  infringement  case filed by
Ludlow  Corporation,  a subsidiary of Tyco  International  Ltd., in return for a
one-time  $1.5  million  payment.  We  recorded a charge to income in the fourth
quarter  of 2002  to  recognize  a loss of $1.5  million  plus  legal  costs  of
approximately $0.5 million.

      During  2003,  we entered  into an  agreement  with  Bristol-Myers  Squibb
Company  ("BMS") and Zimmer,  Inc.,  ("Zimmer") to settle a contractual  dispute
related to the 1997 sale by BMS and its then  subsidiary,  Zimmer,  of  Linvatec
Corporation to CONMED  Corporation.  As a result of the  agreement,  BMS paid us
$9.5  million  in  cash,  which  was  recorded  as a  gain  on  settlement  of a
contractual dispute, net of $0.5 million in legal costs.

      During  2003,  we  announced a plan to  restructure  our  arthroscopy  and
powered  surgical  instrument sales force by increasing our domestic sales force
from 180 to 230 sales  representatives.  The increase is part of our integration
plan for the Bionx  acquisition  discussed in Note 2. As part of the sales force
restructuring,  we converted 90 direct employee sales  representatives into nine
independent sales agent groups. As a result of this  restructuring,  we now have
18 exclusive independent sales agent groups managing 230 arthroscopy and powered
surgical  instrument  sales  representatives.  Due to the  termination of the 90
direct employee sales representatives,  we recorded a charge to other expense of
$2.8 million related to settlement  losses of pension  obligations,  pursuant to
Statement of Financial Accounting  Standards No. 88, "Employers'  Accounting for
Settlements   and   Curtailments  of  Defined  Benefit  Pension  Plans  and  for
Termination Benefits".

      During 2003, we incurred acquisition-related charges of approximately $4.5
million,  of which $1.3 million has been  recorded in cost of sales as discussed
in Note 2. An  additional  $3.2 million of  acquisition  and  transition-related
costs have been recorded in other expense. The $3.2 million of costs recorded in
other expense consist of $1.3 million in retention  bonuses,  travel,  severance
and other costs related to acquisitions completed in the fourth quarter of 2002,
and $1.9 million of similar costs related to the Bionx acquisition  completed in
the first quarter of 2003.

      During 2004, we elected to terminate our surgical  lights product line and
we instituted a customer  replacement  program  whereby all currently  installed
surgical  lights will be replaced by CONMED.  The entire cost of the replacement
program,  including the write-off of the remaining  surgical  lights  inventory,
purchase of new surgical  lights from an alternative  supplier and  installation
costs are expected to  approximate  $4.0  million.  During  2004,  we recorded a
charge of $2.4 million for the  write-off of surgical  lights  inventory and the
cost of surgical light  replacements  performed through December 31, 2004. It is
anticipated


                                      -86-


that the  remaining  $1.6  million  in  costs  will be  incurred  in 2005 as the
replacement program is completed.

      During  2004,  we incurred  $1.5  million of  acquisition-related  charges
associated with the Bard  Endoscopic  Technologies  acquisition  which have been
recorded in other expense.  These expenses  principally consist of severance and
other transition related charges.

Note 13 -- Guarantees

      We provide  warranties on certain of our products at the time of sale. The
standard warranty period for our capital and reusable equipment is generally one
year.  Liability  under service and warranty  policies is based upon a review of
historical  warranty  and  service  claim  experience.  Adjustments  are made to
accruals as claim data and historical experience warrant.

      Changes in the carrying  amount of service and product  warranties for the
year ended December 31, are as follows:

                                                    2002       2003       2004
                                                    ----       ----       ----

Balance as of January 1, ..................       $ 2,909    $ 3,213    $ 3,588
                                                  -------    -------    -------

Provision for warranties ..................         4,287      4,209      3,961
Claims made ...............................        (3,983)    (3,934)    (4,025)
Warranties acquired .......................            --        100         --
                                                  -------    -------    -------

Balance as of December 31, ................       $ 3,213    $ 3,588    $ 3,524
                                                  =======    =======    =======

Note 14 - New Accounting Pronouncements

      In  December  2004,   the  FASB  issued  SFAS  No.  123  (revised   2004),
"Share-Based  Payment" ("SFAS 123R"),  which replaces SFAS No. 123,  "Accounting
for  Stock-Based  Compensation"  ("SFAS 123") and supercedes APB Opinion No. 25,
"Accounting  for  Stock  Issued  to  Employees."  SFAS  123R  requires  that all
share-based  payments to employees,  including grants of employee stock options,
be recognized in the financial statements based on their fair values,  beginning
with the first interim or annual period after June 15, 2005, with early adoption
encouraged.  The pro forma disclosures  previously  permitted under SFAS 123, no
longer  will  be an  alternative  to  financial  statement  recognition.  We are
required to adopt SFAS 123R in the third  quarter of 2005.  Under SFAS 123R,  we
must  determine  the  appropriate  fair  value  model  to  be  used  in  valuing
share-based  payments,  the amortization  method for  compensation  cost and the
transition  method to be used at the date of  adoption.  Upon  adoption,  we may
choose from two transition methods: the modified-prospective transition approach
or the modified-retroactive  transition approach. Under the modified-prospective
transition  approach  we would be required to  recognize  compensation  cost for
awards that were  granted  prior to, but not vested as of the date of  adoption.
Prior periods remain unchanged and pro forma disclosures  previously required by
SFAS  No.  123  continue  to  be  required.  Under  the   modified-retrospective
transition  method, we would be required to restate prior periods by recognizing
compensation cost in the amounts previously reported in the pro forma disclosure
under SFAS No.  123.  Under this  method,  we would be  permitted  to apply this
presentation  to all  periods  presented  or to the start of the fiscal  year in
which SFAS No.  123R is  adopted.  We would also be  required to follow the same
guidelines as in the  modified-prospective  transition method for awards granted
subsequent  to adoption and those that were  granted and not yet vested.  We are


                                      -87-


currently  evaluating  the  requirements  of SFAS  123R  and its  impact  on our
consolidated  results of  operations  and  earnings  per share.  We have not yet
determined  the method of adoption or the effect of adopting  SFAS 123R,  and it
has not been  determined  whether the adoption will result in amounts similar to
the current pro forma disclosures under SFAS 123.

      In  December  2004,  the FASB issued  Staff  Position  ("FSP") No.  109-2,
"Accounting  and  Disclosure  Guidance  for the  Foreign  Earnings  Repatriation
Provision  within the American  Jobs Creation Act of 2004" ("FSP  109-2").  This
position   provides   guidance  under  FASB  Statement  No.  109  ("SFAS  109"),
"Accounting for Income Taxes", with respect to recording the potential impact of
the repatriation provisions of the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 (the "Jobs
Act") on  enterprises'  income tax expense and deferred tax liability.  The Jobs
Act was enacted on October 22,  2004.  FSP 109-2  states that an  enterprise  is
allowed time beyond the financial  reporting period of enactment to evaluate the
effect of the Jobs Act on its plan for  reinvestment  or repatriation of foreign
earnings for purposes of applying SFAS 109. See additional discussion in Note 7.

      In December 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 153,  "Exchanges of Nonmonetary
Assets  - An  Amendment  of APB  Opinion  No.  29,  Accounting  for  Nonmonetary
Transactions"  ("SFAS 153").  SFAS 153  eliminates the exception from fair value
measurement for nonmonetary  exchanges of similar productive assets in paragraph
21(b) of APB Opinion No. 29,  "Accounting  for  Nonmonetary  Transactions,"  and
replaces  it  with an  exception  for  exchanges  that  do not  have  commercial
substance.  SFAS  153  specifies  that a  nonmonetary  exchange  has  commercial
substance  if the  future  cash  flows of the  entity  are  expected  to  change
significantly  as a result of the  exchange.  SFAS 153 is  effective  for fiscal
periods  beginning  after June 15, 2005.  We have  considered  SFAS 153 and have
determined that this pronouncement is not applicable to our current operations.

      In November  2004,  the FASB issued  SFAS No. 151,  "Inventory  Costs - An
Amendment of ARB Opinion No. 43,  Chapter 4" ("SFAS  151").  SFAS 151 amends the
guidance  in ARB  No.  43,  Chapter  4,  "Inventory  Pricing,"  to  clarify  the
accounting  for abnormal  amounts of idle facility  expense,  freight,  handling
costs,  and wasted material  (spoilage).  Among other  provisions,  the new rule
requires that items such as idle facility expense,  excessive  spoilage,  double
freight, and rehandling costs be recognized as current period charges regardless
of whether  they meet the  criterion  of "so  abnormal" as stated in ARB No. 43.
Additionally,  SFAS  151  requires  that  the  allocation  of  fixed  production
overheads  to the costs of  conversion  be based on the normal  capacity  of the
production  facilities.  SFAS 151 is effective for fiscal years  beginning after
June  15,  2005.  We have  considered  SFAS 151 and have  determined  that  this
pronouncement will not materially impact our consolidated results of operations.

      In November  2004,  the FASB issued  SFAS No.  152,  "Accounting  for Real
Estate  Time-Sharing  Transactions  - An amendment of SFAS No. 66 and 67".  This
statement amends SFAS No. 66, "Accounting for Sales of Real Estate, to reference
the financial  accounting  and reporting  guidance for real estate  time-sharing
transactions  which is provided in AICPA  Statement  of Position  ("SOP")  04-2,
"Accounting  for Real Estate  Time-Sharing  Transactions."  This  statement also
amends SFAS No. 67,  "Accounting for Costs and Initial Rental Operations of Real
Estate  Projects," to state the guidance for (a) incidental  costs and (b) costs
incurred to sell real estate projects does not apply to real estate time-sharing
transactions. The accounting for those costs is subject to guidance in SOP 04-2.
SFAS 152 is effective  for fiscal years  beginning  after June 15, 2005. We have
considered  SFAS  152  and  have  determined  that  this  pronouncement  is  not
applicable to our current operations.


                                      -88-


Note 15-- Selected Quarterly Financial Data  (Unaudited)

      Selected quarterly financial data for 2003 and 2004 are as follows:



                                                                             Three Months Ended
                                                                             ------------------
                                                           March           June          September        December
                                                           -----           ----          ---------        --------
                                                                                              
2003
Net sales .......................................        $118,034        $124,540         $120,747        $133,809
Gross profit ....................................          61,656          65,131           63,231          69,679
Net income ......................................           6,668           2,763            9,706          12,945
EPS
    Basic .......................................        $    .23        $    .10         $    .34        $    .45
    Diluted .....................................             .23             .09              .33             .44


                                                                             Three Months Ended
                                                                             ------------------
                                                           March           June          September        December
                                                           -----           ----          ---------        --------
                                                                                              
2004
Net sales .......................................        $133,964        $130,912         $132,289        $161,223
Gross profit ....................................          70,359          68,714           67,487          80,332
Net income ......................................          12,039          12,292            1,699           7,435
EPS:
    Basic .......................................        $    .41        $    .41         $    .06        $    .25
    Diluted .....................................             .40             .41              .06             .25


Unusual Items Included In Selected Quarterly Financial Data:

2003

First Quarter

During the first quarter of 2003,  we recorded a charge of $7.9 million  related
to the write-off of purchased  in-process  research and  development  associated
with the Bionx  acquisition - See Note 2. The first  quarter  effective tax rate
was increased  from 36.0% to 55.1% to reflect the  nondeductibility  of the $7.9
million charge.

During the first  quarter  of 2003,  we  recorded a gain of $9.0  million on the
settlement  of a  contractual  dispute and  acquisition-related  charges of $1.3
million to other expense (income)--See Note 12.

Second quarter

During the second quarter of 2003, we recorded pension settlement losses of $2.1
million  and  acquisition-related  charges  of $1.2  million  to  other  expense
(income)--See Note 12.

During the second quarter of 2003 we recorded losses on the early extinguishment
of debt of $7.9 million--See Note 6.

Third quarter

During the third quarter of 2003, we recorded pension  settlement losses of $0.7
million to other expense (income)--See Note 12.


                                      -89-


Fourth quarter

During the fourth  quarter of 2003,  we reduced the  effective  tax rate for the
year from 41.4% to 39.5% thereby decreasing income tax expense by $1.0 million.

2004

Third quarter

      During the third  quarter of 2004,  we  recorded a charge in the amount of
$13.7  million  related to the write-off of the  estimated  purchase  in-process
research  and  development  associated  with  the Bard  Endoscopic  Technologies
acquisition - See Note 2.

      During the third  quarter of 2004,  we  recorded a charge in the amount of
$0.9  million  in  other  expense  for  costs  related  to the  Bard  Endoscopic
Technologies acquisition - See Note 12.

Fourth quarter

      During the fourth  quarter of 2004,  we recorded a charge in the amount of
$2.7 million  related to the  write-off of the  finalized  purchased  in-process
research  and  development  associated  with  the Bard  Endoscopic  Technologies
acquisition - See Note 2.

      During  the fourth  quarter  of 2004,  we  recorded  $2.3  million of Bard
Endoscopic Technologies  acquisition-related charges in cost of sales - See Note
2.

      During the fourth  quarter of 2004,  we recorded a charge of $2.4  million
related to our  termination of our surgical lights product line and $0.7 million
of  acquisition-related  costs associated with the Bard Endoscopic  Technologies
acquisition to other expense - See Note 12.

      During  the  fourth  quarter  of 2004,  we  recorded  losses  on the early
extinguishment of debt of $0.8 million - See Note 6.


                                      -90-


                 SCHEDULE II--Valuation and Qualifying Accounts
                                 (in thousands)



                                                                             Column C
                                                                    --------------------------
                                                                             Additions
                                                                    --------------------------
                                                       Column B
                                                    ------------                                                       Column E
              Column A                               Balance at     Charged to      Charged to       Column D       --------------
- --------------------------------                    Beginning of    Costs and          Other        ----------      Balance at End
            Description                                Period        Expenses        Accounts       Deductions         of Period
- --------------------------------                    ------------    ---------        --------       ----------      --------------
                                                                                                         
2004
- ----
    Allowance for bad debts ................          $ 1,672        $   380          $    --         $  (817)          $ 1,235
    Deferred tax asset
      valuation allowance ..................            8,462             --               --          (2,575)            5,887

2003
- ----
    Allowance for bad debts ................          $   922        $   741          $   640         $  (631)          $ 1,672
    Deferred tax asset
      valuation allowance ..................               --             --            8,462              --             8,462
2002
- ----
    Allowance for bad debts ................          $ 1,553        $  (144)         $    --         $  (487)          $   922
    Deferred tax asset
      valuation allowance ..................            3,410             --           (3,410)             --                --



                                      -91-