Exhibit 99.1

NEWS BULLETIN                           RE:   NMT Medical, Inc.
    FROM:                                     27 Wormwood Street
                                              Boston, MA 02210-1625
                                              (Nasdaq/NMS:NMTI)

FRB|Weber Shandwick

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

AT THE COMPANY                                AT FRB WEBER SHANDWICK
--------------                                ----------------------
Richard E. Davis                              General Info:  Alison Ziegler
Vice President and CFO                        Analyst Info:  Julie Tu
(617) 737-0930                                Media Info:    Judith Sylk-Siegel
                                              (212) 445-8400

             NMT MEDICAL ANNOUNCES SALE OF VENA CAVA FILTER ASSETS
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BOSTON, Nov. 5, 2001-- NMT Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: NMTI - news) announced today
that it has sold assets comprising NMT's vena cava filter business to C.R. Bard,
Inc. (NYSE: BCR - news).

As was announced on October 19, 2001, in exchange for these assets, NMT will
receive $27 million in upfront cash payments, of which $8.5 million was paid at
closing and the remainder will be paid on or about January 2, 2002. Under the
agreement with Bard, NMT will receive up to an additional $7 million in cash
upon the achievement of certain NMT performance and delivery milestones. In
addition to these cash payments, NMT will receive ongoing royalty payments from
Bard on sales of vena cava filter products and will continue to manufacture the
product for an interim period of time.

With the proceeds from the sale, NMT repaid in full its senior subordinated debt
to Whitney & Co. in the aggregate amount of approximately $4.5 million. In
addition, NMT paid $2.25 million and issued 40,000 shares of its common stock to
The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in exchange for an assignment of all of
Beth Israel's rights with respect to the technology underlying the vena cava
filter business and a general release of claims.

NMT and Dr. Morris Simon, a member of the board of directors of NMT, have
exchanged letters disputing, among other things, rights to royalty payments
relating to the sale of products in the vena cava filter business. In this
correspondence, the parties have indicated an intention to arbitrate these
disputes but no hearings have been scheduled to date.

NMT Medical designs, develops and markets innovative medical devices that
utilize advanced technologies and are delivered by minimally invasive
procedures. The Company's products are designed to offer alternative approaches
to existing complex treatments, thereby reducing patient trauma, shortening
procedure, hospitalization and recovery times, and lowering overall treatment
costs. The Company's cardiovascular business unit provides the interventional
cardiologist, interventional radiologist, and vascular surgeon with proprietary
catheter-based implant technologies that minimize or prevent the risk of embolic
events. The cardiovascular business unit also serves the pediatric
interventional cardiologist with a broad range of cardiac septal repair implants
delivered with nonsurgical catheter techniques. The NMT neurosciences business




unit serves the needs of neurosurgeons with a range of implantable and
single-use products, including cerebral spinal fluid shunts, external drainage
products, and aneurysm clips.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking
statements, including statements regarding the ability of the Company to satisfy
performance and delivery milestones, the receipt of royalty payments on sales by
C.R. Bard, Inc. and the arbitration with Dr. Simon, involve known and unknown
risks, uncertainties or other factors which may cause actual results,
performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any
future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include,
but are not limited to, those discussed under the heading "Certain Factors That
May Affect Future Results" included in the Management's Discussion and Analysis
of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in the Company's Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000, as amended and subsequent
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

  For additional information on NMT Medical, Inc., please visit the Company's
website at
                              www.nmtmedical.com.
                              -------------------

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 FRB Weber Shandwick serves as financial relations counsel to this company, is
     acting on the company's behalf in issuing this bulletin and receiving
                             compensation therefor.

The information contained herein is furnished for information purposes only and
         is not to be construed as an offer to buy or sell securities.