EXHIBIT 99.1



                                [GRAPHIC OMITTED]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACTS:

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

                           CRYOLIFE AMENDS ITS BYLAWS

ATLANTA, Dec. 28, 2005 - CryoLife, Inc. (NYSE: CRY), a biomaterials and
biosurgical device company, announced today that its Board of Directors has
amended the Company's bylaws in order to affirmatively opt out of the Control
Share Acquisition Statute contained in the Florida Business Corporation Act. The
Board believes that the Company no longer has "substantial assets" in the State
of Florida and therefore the Control Share Acquisition Statute does not apply to
CryoLife. The Board took this action to clarify that this anti-takeover statute
does not apply to the Company.

     In addition, the Board removed a provision of the bylaws relating to
special meetings that was inconsistent with the Company's articles of
incorporation. The articles of incorporation provide that shareholders owning
not less than 50 percent of the Company's voting shares may call a special
meeting of the stockholders

     Copies of the amendments to the Company's Bylaws will be filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form
8-K, and will be available at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or at the
Company's website at www.cryolife.com.



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


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

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


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