Exhibit 99.1




[[Image Removed]]   Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
One Edwards Way • Irvine, CA USA • 92614
Phone: 949.250.2500 • Fax: 949.250.2525
www.edwards.com



NEWS RELEASE



Media Contact:   Helen C. Hunt, 949-250-5070
Investor Contact:   David K. Erickson, 949-250-6826




DR. BARBARA MCNEIL ELECTED TO EDWARDS LIFESCIENCES BOARD




IRVINE, Calif., February 16, 2006 - Edwards Lifesciences Corporation (NYSE:EW),
a global leader in products and technologies to treat advanced cardiovascular
disease, today announced that Barbara J. McNeil, M.D., Ph.D., has been elected
to serve as a member of its Board of Directors. Dr. McNeil, 65, is professor and
chair of the Department of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School and
Professor of Radiology at both Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's
Hospital in Boston, Mass.


"We are very pleased to have Dr. McNeil join Edwards Lifesciences'
Board of Directors," said Michael A. Mussallem, Edwards' chairman and CEO. "Her
more than three decades of experience in healthcare and health policy and her
leadership in those communities will prove to be an invaluable resource to our
company."


Dr. McNeil's research interests include the development and
implementation of quality measures for chronic cardiac diseases, the role of
financial incentives and managerial practices in assuring quality, and the costs
and effectiveness of new technologies. Her most recent research project involved
comparing the quality of care for veterans with cardiac disease to the care
provided to Medicare beneficiaries seen in private settings. She is currently
also working with the national Blue Cross Blue Shield Association in evaluating
the quality and cost effectiveness of various interventions.






Dr. McNeil earned a bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Emmanuel
College. She received her M.D. from Harvard Medical School, and her Ph.D. in
Biological Chemistry from Harvard University. She is a member of the Institute
of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, where she chairs its Board of
Health Care Services, and also holds memberships in the American Academy of Arts
and Sciences and the Council for Performance Measurement for the Joint
Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.



About Edwards Lifesciences



Edwards Lifesciences, a leader in advanced cardiovascular disease
treatments, is the number-one heart valve company in the world and the global
leader in acute hemodynamic monitoring. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., Edwards
focuses on specific cardiovascular opportunities including heart valve disease,
peripheral vascular disease and critical care technologies. The company's global
brands, which are sold in approximately 100 countries, include
Carpentier-Edwards, Cosgrove-Edwards, FloTrac, Fogarty, LifeStent, PERIMOUNT and
Swan-Ganz. Additional company information can be found at
http://www.edwards.com.


Edwards Lifesciences, Edwards, Carpentier-Edwards, Cosgrove-Edwards,
Fogarty, PERIMOUNT and Swan-Ganz are trademarks of Edwards Lifesciences
Corporation and are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
LifeStent is a trademark of Edwards Lifesciences AG and is registered in the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. FloTrac is a trademark of Edwards Lifesciences
Corporation.



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