GENERAL SURGICAL INNOVATIONS INC
424B4, 1996-05-10
SURGICAL & MEDICAL INSTRUMENTS & APPARATUS
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<PAGE>
   
PROSPECTUS
    
 
                                3,000,000 Shares
 
                      [GENERAL SURGICAL INNOVATIONS LOGO]
 
                                  Common Stock
                                ----------------
 
    All of the 3,000,000 shares of Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share (the
"Common  Stock") offered hereby are being  sold by General Surgical Innovations,
Inc. ("GSI" or the "Company").
 
   
    Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for the Common Stock
of the Company. See "Underwriting" for a discussion of the factors considered in
determining the  initial  public  offering  price. The  Common  Stock  has  been
approved for quotation on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol "GSII."
    
 
                            ------------------------
 
                 THIS OFFERING INVOLVES A HIGH DEGREE OF RISK.
           SEE "RISK FACTORS" BEGINNING ON PAGE 6 OF THIS PROSPECTUS.
 
                            ------------------------
THESE  SECURITIES  HAVE  NOT  BEEN APPROVED  OR  DISAPPROVED  BY  THE SECURITIES
 AND EXCHANGE  COMMISSION  OR ANY  STATE  SECURITIES COMMISSION  NOR  HAS  THE
  SECURITIES  AND  EXCHANGE COMMISSION  OR  ANY STATE  SECURITIES COMMISSION
    PASSED  UPON  THE  ACCURACY  OR   ADEQUACY  OF  THIS  PROSPECTUS.   ANY
          REPRESENTATION  TO  THE   CONTRARY  IS  A  CRIMINAL  OFFENSE.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
   
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                   Underwriting
                                           Price to               Discounts and              Proceeds to
                                            Public               Commissions (1)             Company (2)
<S>                                <C>                       <C>                       <C>
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Per Share........................           $15.00                    $1.05                     $13.95
Total (3)........................        $45,000,000                $3,150,000               $41,850,000
</TABLE>
    
 
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
(1)  The  Company  has  agreed to  indemnify  the  Underwriters  against certain
    liabilities, including  liabilities under  the Securities  Act of  1933,  as
    amended. See "Underwriting."
 
(2) Before deducting expenses payable by the Company, estimated to be $800,000.
 
   
(3)  The Company has  granted the Underwriters an  option, exercisable within 30
    days of  the  date  hereof,  to  purchase an  aggregate  of  up  to  450,000
    additional  shares at  the Price to  Public less  Underwriting Discounts and
    Commissions to cover over-allotments, if any. If all such additional  shares
    are  purchased,  the  total  Price  to  Public,  Underwriting  Discounts and
    Commissions and  Proceeds to  Company will  be $51,750,000,  $3,622,500  and
    $48,127,500, respectively. See "Underwriting."
    
 
                            ------------------------
 
   
    The  Common Stock is offered by  the several Underwriters named herein when,
as and if received and accepted by them, subject to their right to reject orders
in whole or in part and subject to certain other conditions. It is expected that
delivery of certificates for the shares will  be made at the offices of Cowen  &
Company, New York, New York, on or about May 15, 1996.
    
 
                            ------------------------
 
COWEN & COMPANY                                               UBS SECURITIES LLC
 
   
May 10, 1996
    
<PAGE>
(LOGO)
 
                      Balloon Dissectors and Applications
 
             A  picture  of  the  human body  and  diagrams  of the
             Company's balloon dissectors  with arrows pointing  to
             parts of the body were the balloon dissectors would be
             used.
 
    Breast Augmentation/Reconstruction                             Brow Lift
 
    Latissimus Dorsi Harvesting                         TRAM Flap Harvesting
 
    Abdominoplasty                                     Aortic Reconstruction
 
    Anterior Spinal Fusion                                     Hernia Repair
 
    Bladder Neck Suspension                        Saphenous Vein Harvesting
 
    Long Bone Plating                Subfacial Endoscopic Perforator Surgery
 
The  Company  has  introduced  or is  introducing  for  commercial  sale balloon
dissectors for the hernia repair,  subfascial endoscopic perforator surgery  and
breast  augmentation and  reconstruction procedures  set forth  above. The other
balloon dissectors shown  have been developed  by the Company  but are not  sold
commercially
 
IN  CONNECTION WITH  THIS OFFERING,  THE UNDERWRITERS  MAY OVER-ALLOT  OR EFFECT
TRANSACTIONS WHICH STABILIZE OR MAINTAIN THE MARKET PRICE OF THE COMMON STOCK OF
THE COMPANY AT  A LEVEL ABOVE  THAT WHICH  MIGHT OTHERWISE PREVAIL  IN THE  OPEN
MARKET.  SUCH  TRANSACTIONS MAY  BE EFFECTED  ON THE  NASDAQ NATIONAL  MARKET OR
OTHERWISE. SUCH STABILIZING, IF COMMENCED, MAY BE DISCONTINUED AT ANY TIME.
                            ------------------------
 
    Spacemaker-Registered Trademark-  and KnotMaker-TM-  are trademarks  of  the
Company. This Prospectus also contains trademarks of other companies.
 
                                       2
<PAGE>
(LOGO)
 
               Spacemaker-Registered Trademark- Product Platforms
 
             A  picture of the Company's  Spacemaker products and a
             description of their features.
 
<TABLE>
<S>                        <C>
Spacemaker-Registered Trademark-
I                          Contains integral trocar to maintain space
 
Spacemaker-Registered Trademark-
II                         Allows visualization upon entry and inflation
 
Spacemaker-Registered Trademark-
Reposable                  Sold in multipack kits
                           Semi-reusable handle
                           Lower cost per procedure
 
Spacemaker World-TM-       Sold in multipack kits
                           Limited visualization
                           Sold outside the United States
</TABLE>
 
The Spacemaker-Registered Trademark- I, Spacemaker-Registered Trademark- II  and
Spacemaker-Registered  Trademark-  Reposable  product  platforms  have  received
510(k) clearance from  the FDA  for commercial sale  in the  United States.  The
Spacemaker  World-TM- product  platform was  designed for  sale in international
markets and the Company has  not applied for or  received FDA clearance for  the
sale of such product in the United States.
<PAGE>
(LOGO)
 
         Spacemaker-Registered Trademark- Balloon Dissection Procedure
 
Spacemaker Balloon Dissector
 
             A  description of the balloon dissection procedure and
             pictures of the procedure.
 
The Spacemaker balloon is introduced
through a small incision in the skin.
 
The balloon is filled with either air or saline
to dissect the tissue planes, creating a
working space.
 
The air/saline is removed.
 
The dissected space is insufflated creating
the bloodless working environment.
<PAGE>
                               PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
 
    THE  FOLLOWING SUMMARY  IS QUALIFIED  IN ITS  ENTIRETY BY  THE MORE DETAILED
INFORMATION AND CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND NOTES APPEARING  ELSEWHERE
IN  THIS  PROSPECTUS.  UNLESS  THE  CONTEXT  OTHERWISE  REQUIRES,  "GSI"  OR THE
"COMPANY" REFERS  TO GENERAL  SURGICAL INNOVATIONS,  INC. AND  ITS WHOLLY  OWNED
SUBSIDIARY.   THE  DISCUSSION   IN  THIS   PROSPECTUS  CONTAINS  FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS THAT INVOLVE  RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES.  THE COMPANY'S ACTUAL  RESULTS
COULD  DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE DISCUSSED  HERE. FACTORS THAT COULD CAUSE OR
CONTRIBUTE TO SUCH DIFFERENCES INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, THOSE  DISCUSSED
IN  "RISK FACTORS," "MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS" AND "BUSINESS"  AS WELL AS THOSE DISCUSSED  ELSEWHERE
IN THIS PROSPECTUS.
 
                                  THE COMPANY
 
    General  Surgical  Innovations,  Inc.  ("GSI"  or  the  "Company") develops,
manufactures and sells balloon dissection systems for minimally invasive surgery
("MIS").  Each  of  GSI's  proprietary  Spacemaker  balloon  dissection  systems
consists  of an access and deployment platform and a balloon dissector. By using
the Company's  products, surgeons  can access  a surgical  site in  a  minimally
invasive  manner and can rapidly and  relatively atraumatically create a working
space at  the  target surgical  site  where  no space  previously  existed.  The
Company's  balloon dissection systems  are currently offered  in four access and
deployment platforms, along with  14 different balloon  shapes and sizes,  which
are  specifically designed for various  surgical techniques, procedure types and
market segments. The Company  commenced commercial sales  of its first  product,
the  Spacemaker I  platform for  hernia repair,  in September  1993 and  to date
almost all of the  Company's revenues have been  derived from sales of  products
for  this procedure, primarily pursuant to  a distribution agreement with United
States Surgical Corporation  ("USSC"). The Company  currently sells products  in
the  United States  and certain other  countries, including  the United Kingdom,
Germany  and  France,  for  selected  applications,  including  hernia   repair,
subfascial   endoscopic   perforator   surgery  and   breast   augmentation  and
reconstruction. Over  the next  18 months,  the Company  anticipates  completing
marketing-related clinical evaluations of and launching products for several new
applications, including treatment of stress urinary incontinence, saphenous vein
harvesting and anterior spinal fusion.
 
    Open  surgery  is  an  invasive  procedure  that  generally  requires  large
incisions and significant tissue  manipulation in order  to provide the  surgeon
with direct access to the intended surgical site. Much of the trauma suffered in
connection  with open surgery is a result of gaining access to the surgical site
and is  not  caused by  the  surgical repair  itself.  In order  to  reduce  the
complications associated with many open surgical procedures, surgical techniques
referred to as MIS have recently been developed. These techniques allow surgeons
to  access the target  surgical site through the  body's natural openings (E.G.,
mouth, urethra or rectum) or by  making small incisions to access body  cavities
such as the abdominal cavity (the "peritoneum"). The benefits of MIS as compared
to  open  surgery generally  include reduced  patient trauma  (including muscle,
nerve and  other  tissue damage),  reduced  blood loss,  reduced  post-operative
infection,  reduced  scarring  at  the site  of  the  incision,  shorter patient
recovery time, reduced procedure time and  ultimately lower medical costs. As  a
result of these benefits, MIS has been used increasingly for surgical procedures
within  the peritoneum. For example, in  1995 approximately 93% of the estimated
857,000 cholecystectomies (gallbladder removal)  performed in the United  States
were performed using MIS, compared to none in 1988.
 
    Despite  the  documented benefits  of  MIS, its  adoption  to date  has been
limited to  a select  number  of surgical  procedures,  and, in  the  aggregate,
represented  only an estimated  15% of all surgical  procedures performed in the
United States  in 1995.  The  most widely  adopted MIS  procedure,  laparoscopic
cholecystectomy,  has been successfully adopted largely because of the proximity
of the target surgical site to the peritoneum, the only natural body cavity that
provides a  working space  when insufflated.  Application of  MIS techniques  to
other  surgical procedures and  the ability to exploit  the clinical benefits of
MIS have been  limited by the  lack of a  natural body cavity  proximate to  the
surgical  site and  the inability  of the  surgeon to  easily and atraumatically
access the surgical site or
 
                                       3
<PAGE>
establish a surgical  working space  where no  natural body  cavity exists.  MIS
conducted  outside of a  natural body cavity  requires the surgeon  to use blunt
dissection tools to tunnel through tissue to reach the surgical site, creating a
relatively bloody working space with poor visualization.
 
    GSI's proprietary  Spacemaker balloon  dissection  systems are  designed  to
address  the limitations of blunt dissection MIS  and enable the adoption of MIS
techniques for a variety of surgical procedures. The body has a large number  of
naturally  occuring tissue layers, including skin, muscle and fat. The Company's
balloon dissection  systems allow  the  surgeon to  exploit this  physiology  by
inflating  the balloon to separate the  natural tissue planes that exist between
these layers, thereby creating  a working space at  or near the target  surgical
site.  By utilizing any one of a range of balloons with pre-specified deployment
characteristics, the surgeon is able to accurately and predictably determine the
size, shape and proximity of the  surgical working space relative to the  target
surgical site. The Company believes that its technology can be deployed anywhere
in the body where a natural tissue plane exists.
 
    The  Company  believes that  its  proprietary balloon  dissection technology
provides the following benefits: (i) the ability to create a predictable working
space tailored for  a specific procedure;  (ii) the ability  to rapidly  dissect
tissue,  thereby reducing procedure time;  (iii) compatibility with existing MIS
techniques and instruments, facilitating the adoption of the Company's  products
for  a variety of surgical procedures; and  (iv) ease of use, thereby minimizing
surgeon training  requirements.  In  addition, the  Company  believes  that  its
products provide substantial clinical and cost benefits for the patient, surgeon
and payor, including reduced patient trauma, reduced blood loss, shorter patient
recovery time and reduced procedure time.
 
   
    GSI  believes that its current patent  and regulatory status provide it with
competitive advantages in the balloon  dissection market, and the Company  plans
to capitalize on its proprietary position in establishing and maintaining market
leadership. To date, the Company has received 510(k) clearances from the FDA for
the use of its Spacemaker balloon dissection technology to perform dissection of
tissue   planes  during  general,  endoscopic,   laparoscopic  or  cosmetic  and
reconstructive surgery using  a broad  range of  balloon sizes  and shapes.  The
Company  believes  that these  FDA  clearances allow  the  use of  the Company's
balloon dissection technology  for many surgical  applications that the  Company
may  pursue,  including  those involving  other  balloon sizes  and  shapes. GSI
currently has 14 issued  United States patents and  two issued foreign  patents,
and  numerous additional United States  and foreign patent applications covering
the Company's  Spacemaker technology.  In May  1996, the  Company was  issued  a
United  States patent  which contains  claims regarding  the use  of balloons to
dissect tissue planes anywhere in the body. The Company believes that the  scope
of  these claims could provide a long-term competitive advantage for many of its
balloon dissection products.
    
 
    The Company's  objective  is  to  become the  leading  provider  of  balloon
dissection  systems and specialty  surgical instruments for  MIS procedures. The
Company's market penetration and adoption  strategy is comprised of several  key
elements.  First, the Company  seeks to develop  and maintain relationships with
leading general surgeons and specialists in each of its target surgical  fields,
including   general  surgery,  obstetrics,  gynecology,  urology,  cosmetic  and
reconstructive surgery,  orthopedic surgery  and vascular  surgery. Second,  the
Company  intends to develop relationships  with leading medical device companies
that can  support surgeon  training in  the use  of the  Company's products  and
augment  the Company's  direct sales  and marketing  capabilities. The Company's
initial partnership  in this  area  is the  distribution of  balloon  dissection
systems  for hernia repair through USSC.  Third, the Company plans to capitalize
on its favorable regulatory and patent position to develop and rapidly introduce
additional products that  broaden the surgical  applications for its  Spacemaker
technology.  Finally, the Company will  continue to develop surgical instruments
tailored for  use  in  the  working spaces  created  by  the  Company's  balloon
dissection  systems, with the goal of facilitating the adoption of the Company's
products for target procedures.
 
    The Company's  principal offices  are located  at 3172A  Porter Drive,  Palo
Alto,  California 94304, and its telephone number is (415) 812-9730. The Company
was incorporated in California in April 1992.
 
                                       4
<PAGE>
                                  THE OFFERING
 
   
<TABLE>
<S>                                            <C>
Common Stock offered by the Company..........  3,000,000 shares
Common Stock  to  be  outstanding  after  the
 offering (1)................................  12,653,342 shares
Use of proceeds..............................  To   fund  sales  and  marketing  activities,
                                               research and  development,  marketing-related
                                               clinical  evaluations,  capital expenditures,
                                               expansion   of   manufacturing   and    other
                                               facilities   and   other   general  corporate
                                               purposes. See "Use of Proceeds."
Nasdaq National Market symbol................  GSII
</TABLE>
    
 
                      SUMMARY CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA
                     (IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT PER SHARE DATA)
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                      FISCAL YEAR ENDED           NINE MONTHS ENDED
                                                                          JUNE 30,                    MARCH 31,
                                                               -------------------------------  ----------------------
                                                                 1993       1994       1995                    1996
                                                               ---------  ---------  ---------     1995      ---------
                                                                                                -----------
                                                                                                (UNAUDITED)
<S>                                                            <C>        <C>        <C>        <C>          <C>
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS DATA:
  Sales......................................................  $  --      $     789  $   2,437   $   1,805   $   3,421
  Cost of sales..............................................     --            600      1,262         908       1,654
                                                               ---------  ---------  ---------  -----------  ---------
    Gross profit.............................................     --            189      1,175         897       1,767
  Operating expenses:
    Research and development.................................        750        496        975         735         864
    Sales and marketing......................................         42      1,532      2,859       1,965       2,578
    General and administrative...............................        398      1,338      1,400       1,127       1,120
    Write-off of acquired in-process research and
     development.............................................                                                    2,791
                                                               ---------  ---------  ---------  -----------  ---------
    Total operating expenses.................................      1,190      3,366      5,234       3,827       7,353
                                                               ---------  ---------  ---------  -----------  ---------
  Loss from operations.......................................     (1,190)    (3,177)    (4,059)     (2,930)     (5,586)
  Interest and other income (loss), net......................         18         58          8          (6)        151
                                                               ---------  ---------  ---------  -----------  ---------
  Net loss...................................................  $  (1,172) $  (3,119) $  (4,051)  $  (2,936)  $  (5,435)
                                                               ---------  ---------  ---------  -----------  ---------
                                                               ---------  ---------  ---------  -----------  ---------
  Pro forma net loss per share (2)...........................  $   (0.16) $   (0.34) $   (0.40)  $   (0.29)  $   (0.53)
  Shares used in computing pro forma net loss per share
   (2).......................................................      7,275      9,276     10,241      10,217      10,301
</TABLE>
 
   
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                              MARCH 31, 1996
                                                                                       ----------------------------
                                                                                        ACTUAL    AS ADJUSTED(1)(3)
                                                                                       ---------  -----------------
<S>                                                                                    <C>        <C>
BALANCE SHEET DATA:
  Cash and cash equivalents..........................................................  $   3,904      $  44,954
  Working capital....................................................................      2,788         44,088
  Total assets.......................................................................      6,708         47,758
  Convertible redeemable preferred stock.............................................     15,547         --
  Total shareholders' equity (deficit)...............................................    (12,291)        44,556
</TABLE>
    
 
- ------------------------------
(1) Excludes (i)  1,133,266 shares  of Common  Stock issuable  upon exercise  of
    outstanding stock options and (ii) 2,155,164 shares of Common Stock reserved
    for  issuance under  the Company's  equity incentive  plans as  of March 31,
    1996. See "Management -- Stock Options" and "-- Equity Incentive Plans."
 
(2) Computed  on  the  basis described  in  Note  14 of  Notes  to  Consolidated
    Financial Statements.
 
   
(3)  Adjusted to  give effect to  the sale  of 3,000,000 shares  of Common Stock
    offered by the Company  at the initial public  offering price of $15.00  per
    share  after deducting estimated Underwriting  discounts and commissions and
    estimated offering expenses payable  by the Company.  See "Use of  Proceeds"
    and "Capitalization."
    
                         ------------------------------
 
   
    UNLESS  OTHERWISE INDICATED, ALL INFORMATION  IN THIS PROSPECTUS ASSUMES (I)
NO  EXERCISE  OF  THE  UNDERWRITERS'  OVER-ALLOTMENT  OPTION,  (II)  REFLECTS  A
1.37-FOR-ONE  SPLIT OF THE  COMPANY'S CAPITAL STOCK EFFECTED  IN MAY 1996, (III)
REFLECTS THE CONVERSION  OF ALL  OUTSTANDING SHARES  OF PREFERRED  STOCK OF  THE
COMPANY  INTO AN AGGREGATE OF 5,833,698 SHARES  OF COMMON STOCK UPON THE CLOSING
OF THIS OFFERING AND (IV) ASSUMES THE CONVERSION OF TWO PROMISSORY NOTES IN  THE
AGGREGATE  PRINCIPAL  AMOUNT OF  $250,000 INTO  66,637  SHARES OF  THE COMPANY'S
COMMON STOCK.
    
 
                                       5
<PAGE>
                                  RISK FACTORS
 
    AN  INVESTMENT IN THE SHARES OF COMMON  STOCK OFFERED HEREBY INVOLVES A HIGH
DEGREE OF  RISK.  IN  ADDITION  TO  THE  OTHER  INFORMATION  CONTAINED  IN  THIS
PROSPECTUS,  INVESTORS SHOULD CAREFULLY  CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING  RISK FACTORS IN
EVALUATING THE COMPANY AND ITS BUSINESS  BEFORE PURCHASING THE SHARES OF  COMMON
STOCK OFFERED HEREBY.
 
LIMITED OPERATING HISTORY; ANTICIPATED FUTURE LOSSES
 
    The  Company was organized in April 1992 and began commercially shipping its
first Spacemaker products in September 1993. Accordingly, the Company has only a
limited operating  history upon  which  an evaluation  of  the Company  and  its
prospects  can be based.  As of March  31, 1996, the  Company had an accumulated
deficit of $13.8 million.  The Company's operating losses  for the fiscal  years
ending June 30, 1993, 1994 and 1995 and for the nine months ended March 31, 1996
were  $1.2 million, $3.1  million, $4.1 million  and $5.4 million, respectively.
The Company  expects to  continue to  incur significant  operating losses  on  a
quarterly  and annual basis. Since the introduction of its initial products, the
Company has yet to achieve profitability and may never do so in the future.  Due
to  the Company's limited operating history, there  can be no assurance of sales
growth or  profitability on  a quarterly  or  annual basis  in the  future.  The
Company  intends  to  increase  significantly its  investments  in  research and
development, sales  and marketing,  marketing-related clinical  evaluations  and
related  infrastructure.  Due  to  the anticipated  increases  in  the Company's
operating expenses, the Company's operating  results will be adversely  affected
if sales do not increase. The Company's prospects must be considered in light of
the  risks,  expenses and  difficulties frequently  encountered by  companies in
their early stage  of development,  particularly companies  in rapidly  evolving
markets.  To  address  these  risks, the  Company  must  respond  to competitive
developments, continue to  attract, retain  and motivate  qualified persons  and
successfully  commercialize products incorporating  advanced technologies. There
can be  no assurance  that the  Company will  be successful  in addressing  such
risks.  See  "Management's Discussion  and Analysis  of Financial  Condition and
Results of Operations" and "Business."
 
DEPENDENCE UPON BALLOON DISSECTION PRODUCTS; RISK OF TECHNOLOGICAL OBSOLESCENCE
 
    All of the Company's sales since  inception have been derived from sales  of
its  balloon dissection products, with a  substantial portion derived from sales
for hernia repair procedures. Failure of the Company to develop successfully and
commercialize balloon  dissection products  for applications  other than  hernia
repair could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial
condition  and  results of  operations. The  success  of the  Company's products
depends on the  nature of  the technological  advances inherent  in the  product
designs,  reductions  in  patient  trauma or  other  benefits  provided  by such
products, results of marketing-related clinical evaluations, continued  adoption
of  MIS procedures by surgeons, market  acceptance of the Company's products and
related procedures,  reimbursement for  the Company's  products by  health  care
payors  and  the Company's  receipt  of regulatory  approvals.  There can  be no
assurance  that  the  Company's  products  will  have  the  required   technical
characteristics,  that  the  Company's products  will  provide  adequate patient
benefits, that marketing-related clinical evaluations results will be favorable,
that surgeons will continue  to adopt MIS  procedures, that recently  introduced
products  or  future products  of the  Company or  related procedures  will gain
market acceptance, or that required  regulatory approvals will be obtained.  The
failure  to achieve any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on
the Company's business, financial  condition and results  of operations. To  the
extent  demand for  the Company's balloon  dissection systems  for hernia repair
declines and  the  Company's  newly-introduced  products  are  not  commercially
accepted  or its existing  products are not developed  for new procedures, there
could be  a  material  adverse  effect  on  the  Company's  business,  financial
condition  and results of operations.  See "Management's Discussion and Analysis
of Financial Condition and Results of Operations."
 
DEPENDENCE ON KEY DISTRIBUTOR
 
    In March 1994, the Company entered into a distribution agreement with United
States Surgical Corporation  ("USSC"), a large  manufacturer and distributor  of
medical devices. Pursuant to this
 
                                       6
<PAGE>
agreement  USSC has rights,  which are co-exclusive  with the rights  of GSI, to
distribute the  Spacemaker  I product  for  hernia  repair and,  to  the  extent
permitted  by  the  Company's  initial 510(k)  clearance  for  the  Spacemaker I
product, other  applications. USSC's  distribution rights  are limited  to  only
those  products that  are or  could be covered  by the  Company's initial 510(k)
clearance. From  time to  time,  the Company  and  USSC have  had  disagreements
regarding  the  extent  of USSC's  rights  under the  distribution  agreement to
distribute new  products  developed  by  the Company  after  the  date  of  such
agreement.  In addition, under the distribution  agreement, USSC is obligated to
purchase minimum quantities  of the  Company's products.  USSC historically  has
purchased  substantially more product than is  required under this agreement. In
fiscal 1994 and 1995 and  the nine months ended March  31, 1996, sales to  USSC,
which  include  sales to  Autosuture, Inc.,  a  subsidiary of  USSC, represented
approximately 68%, 75% and  87%, respectively, of the  Company's net sales.  The
Company's  sales  to USSC  have fluctuated  significantly in  the past,  and the
Company anticipates that such sales could fluctuate in the future. For  example,
purchases  by USSC  declined substantially  in the  quarter ended  September 30,
1995, and then increased substantially in the subsequent quarter ended  December
31,  1995. As  a result, there  can be no  assurance that USSC  will continue to
purchase the Company's  products in amounts  equal to past  levels or that  USSC
will   purchase  the  minimum  quantities  required  under  the  agreement.  The
distribution agreement with  USSC expires  in March 1997,  and there  can be  no
assurance that such agreement will be renewed on the same or similar terms. USSC
could also elect to sell competitive products, rather than those of the Company,
which  could result in a decline of the Company's sales. A significant reduction
in orders from USSC or a failure to  renew the agreement with USSC could have  a
material  adverse  effect on  the  Company's business,  financial  condition and
results of  operations. Although  the Company  intends to  establish  additional
distributorships  in the United  States for products in  areas other than hernia
repair, there can be no assurance that such efforts will be successful.  Failure
to diversify its distribution network in the United States could have a material
adverse  effect on  the Company's business,  financial condition  and results of
operations.
 
    To date, substantially all of  the Company's international sales for  hernia
repair  procedures have  been made through  Autosuture under the  same terms and
conditions as the Company's agreement with USSC. Although the Company may in the
future seek to diversify its international distribution network, there can be no
assurance that  such  efforts  will  be successful.  Failure  to  diversify  its
international   distribution  network  or  failure  to  maintain  or  renew  its
relationship with  Autosuture  could  have  a material  adverse  effect  on  the
Company's business, financial condition and results of operations.
 
LIMITED MARKETING AND DIRECT SALES EXPERIENCE
 
    The  Company has only limited experience  marketing and selling its products
through its  direct  sales  force,  and has  sold  its  products  in  commercial
quantities  through its direct sales  force only to the  hernia market and, to a
lesser degree, to the cosmetic  and reconstructive surgery market.  Establishing
marketing  and  sales  capability  sufficient  to  support  sales  in commercial
quantities for the other markets  targeted by the Company, including  additional
hernia,   vascular,  urology,  obstetrics,  gynecology  and  orthopedic  surgery
markets, will require significant resources, and there can be no assurance  that
the  Company will be  able to recruit and  retain additional qualified marketing
personnel, or direct sales personnel or that future sales efforts of the Company
will be successful. In markets where  there is a large potential customer  base,
the  Company  intends  to establish  partnership  relationships  with additional
distribution partners. The Company has  no significant relationships other  than
with  USSC and there can be no assurance  that the Company will be successful in
establishing such partnership relationships on commercially reasonable terms, if
at all. The failure to establish and maintain an effective distribution  channel
for  the Company's  products, or  establish and  retain qualified  and effective
sales personnel to  support commercial  sales of the  Company's products,  could
have  a material adverse  effect on the  Company's business, financial condition
and  results  of  operations.  See  "Management's  Discussion  and  Analysis  of
Financial  Condition  and Results  of Operations,"  and "Business  -- Marketing,
Sales and Distribution."
 
                                       7
<PAGE>
UNCERTAINTY OF MARKET ACCEPTANCE; NO ASSURANCE OF CLINICAL ADVANTAGE
 
    The Company's success  is substantially  dependent upon the  success of  its
Spacemaker  balloon  dissection  products.  The  Company  believes  that  market
acceptance of the  Company's products will  depend on the  Company's ability  to
provide   evidence  to  the  medical  community  of  the  safety,  efficacy  and
cost-effectiveness of its products  and the procedures  in which these  products
are  intended to be used. Market acceptance is also dependent on the adoption of
laparoscopic techniques generally and  the conversion of non-balloon  dissection
techniques to balloon dissection techniques specifically. To date, the Company's
products  have only  been used  to treat  a limited  number of  patients and the
Company has  limited long-term  outcomes data.  If the  Company is  not able  to
demonstrate  consistent clinical benefits resulting from the use of its products
(including reduced procedure time, reduced patient trauma and lower costs),  the
Company's  business,  financial condition  and  results of  operations  could be
materially and adversely affected.
 
    The Company further believes  that the ability of  health care providers  to
obtain  adequate  reimbursement for  procedures  using the  Company's Spacemaker
balloon dissector products and  related instruments will  be critical to  market
acceptance  of  the  Company's  products.  Although  the  Company  believes that
procedures using its balloon dissection products currently may be reimbursed  in
the  United  States under  certain  existing procedure  codes,  there can  be no
assurance that such procedure codes will remain available or that  reimbursement
under  these  codes will  be  adequate. The  Company  has limited  experience in
obtaining third-party reimbursement, and  the inability to obtain  reimbursement
for  some or  all of its  products could have  a material adverse  effect on the
Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. See "Business
- -- Third-Party Reimbursement."
 
    The Company introduced its balloon dissectors in late 1993 and to date there
has been  relatively  little education  among  surgeons about  the  benefits  of
balloon  dissection technology. Furthermore,  because of the  novelty of balloon
dissection procedures, many surgeons and surgeons' assistants have not developed
the requisite skills  to perform  balloon dissection procedures.  To the  extent
that  laparoscopic techniques  are adopted  slowly, that  balloon dissectors are
incorporated into  laparoscopic  techniques  less often  or  that  surgeons  are
unwilling  or  unable  to  develop  the  skills  necessary  to  utilize  balloon
dissectors,  the  Company's  business,   financial  condition  and  results   of
operations  could be materially adversely  affected. See "Business -- Marketing,
Sales and Distribution."
 
FLUCTUATIONS IN QUARTERLY RESULTS
 
    Results of the Company's operations may fluctuate significantly from quarter
to quarter and will depend on (i)  new product introductions by the Company  and
its competitors and the resulting product transitions, (ii) the rate of adoption
by surgeons of balloon dissection technology in markets targeted by the Company,
(iii)  the sales efforts  of the Company's  distributors, (iv) the  mix of sales
among distributors and the  Company's direct sales force,  (v) timing of  patent
and  regulatory  approvals, (vi)  timing  of operating  expenditures,  (vii) the
Company's ability  to manufacture  its products  efficiently, (viii)  timing  of
research   and  development   expenses,  including   marketing-related  clinical
evaluation expenditures, (ix) intellectual  property litigation and (x)  general
market  conditions. The Company's sales in  any period are highly dependent upon
the marketing efforts and success of USSC,  which are not within the control  of
the  Company. The Company's  sales to USSC have  fluctuated significantly in the
past, and the Company anticipates that such sales could fluctuate in the future.
For example,  purchases by  USSC  declined substantially  in the  quarter  ended
September  30, 1995, and then increased  substantially in the subsequent quarter
ended December 31,  1995. Accordingly, any  decline in purchases  by USSC  could
result  in  a decline  in  sales and  adversely  affect the  Company's operating
results. In addition,  announcements or expected  announcements by the  Company,
its competitors or its distributors of new products, new technologies or pricing
changes  could cause  existing or  potential customers  of the  Company to defer
purchases of the Company's existing products and could alter the mix of products
sold by the Company, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company's
business, financial  condition  and  results  of operations.  There  can  be  no
assurance  that  future products  or product  enhancements will  be successfully
introduced or that such introductions
 
                                       8
<PAGE>
will not adversely affect the demand for existing products. As a result of these
and other factors, the Company's quarterly operating results have fluctuated  in
the past, and the Company expects that such results may fluctuate in the future.
Due  to  such quarterly  fluctuations  in operating  results, quarter-to-quarter
comparisons of the  Company's operating results  are not necessarily  meaningful
and  should not  be relied  upon as indicators  of likely  future performance or
annual operating results. In addition,  the Company's limited operating  history
makes accurate prediction of future operating results difficult or impossible to
make.  There can  be no assurance  that in  the future the  Company will achieve
sales growth or become  profitable on a  quarterly or annual  basis or that  its
growth will be consistent with predictions by securities analysts and investors.
In  such  event,  the  price  of the  Company's  Common  Stock  would  likely be
materially and adversely affected. See "Management's Discussion and Analysis  of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations."
 
RELIANCE ON PATENTS AND PROPRIETARY TECHNOLOGY
 
   
    The Company's success will depend on its ability to obtain patent protection
for  its products and  processes, to preserve its  trade secrets and proprietary
technology and to  operate without  infringing upon the  patents or  proprietary
rights  of third parties. As of March 31, 1996, the Company had 13 issued United
States patents and had applied for  an additional 45 United States patents,  six
of  which had a notice of allowance or  allowed claims. In addition, GSI had two
foreign patents  issued,  and nine  additional  foreign patent  applications  in
prosecution  on such date. In  May 1996, the Company  was issued a United States
patent that contains  claims regarding  the use  of balloons  to dissect  tissue
planes anywhere in the body.
    
 
    The  validity and  breadth of claims  in medical  technology patents involve
complex legal and factual questions and, therefore, may be highly uncertain.  No
assurance  can be given that any patents based on pending patent applications or
any future patent  applications will  be issued, that  the scope  of any  patent
protection  will exclude  competitors or  provide competitive  advantages to the
Company, that any of the Company's patents  or patents to which it has  licensed
rights  will be held  valid if subsequently  challenged or that  others will not
claim rights in or ownership of the patents and other proprietary rights held or
licensed by the Company  or that the Company's  existing patents will cover  the
Company's  future products. Furthermore,  there can be  no assurance that others
have not developed or  will not develop similar  products, duplicate any of  the
Company's  products or design  around any patents  issued to or  licensed by the
Company or  that may  be  issued in  the future  to  the Company.  Since  patent
applications in the United States are maintained in secrecy until patents issue,
the  Company also cannot be certain that  others did not first file applications
for inventions covered by the Company's pending patent applications, nor can the
Company be certain  that it  will not  infringe any  patents that  may issue  to
others on such applications.
 
    One  of the patent applications filed by the Company, which is directed to a
surgical  method  using  balloon  dissection  technology,  has  been  placed  in
interference  with  a  patent  application  filed  by  Origin  Medsystems,  Inc.
("Origin"), a competitor of the Company. The Company believes that the  inventor
named in its patent application was the first to invent this subject matter, and
has  asserted that  the Origin patent  application was filed  after a disclosure
made by such inventor to employees of Origin. Origin takes a contrary  position.
This interference is presently pending in the United States Patent and Trademark
Office  ("USPTO") and, as permitted by the rules of the USPTO, has been referred
to an arbitrator for  completion of the interference  proceeding. A decision  is
not  expected in this interference proceeding until 1997. Failure of the Company
to prevail in such interference proceeding could have a material adverse  effect
on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations.
 
    Patent  interference  or  infringement involves  complex  legal  and factual
issues and  is  highly  uncertain,  and  there can  be  no  assurance  that  any
conclusion  reached by the Company regarding patent interference or infringement
will be consistent with the  resolution of such issue by  a court. In the  event
the  Company's products are found to infringe patents held by competitors, there
can be no assurance  that the Company  will be able  to modify successfully  its
products to avoid infringement, or
 
                                       9
<PAGE>
that  any modified  products will  be commercially  successful. Failure  in such
event to  either  develop a  commercially  successful alternative  or  obtain  a
license  to such patent  on commercially reasonable terms  could have a material
adverse effect on  the Company's  business, financial condition  and results  of
operations. In any event, there can be no assurance that the Company will not be
required  to  defend  itself in  court  against allegations  of  infringement of
third-party  patents.  Patent  litigation   is  expensive,  requires   extensive
management  time,  and could  subject  the Company  to  significant liabilities,
require disputed rights to be licensed from third parties or require the Company
to cease selling its products.
 
    Legislation is pending  in Congress that,  if enacted in  its present  form,
would  limit the ability of medical device manufacturers in the future to obtain
patents on surgical and medical  procedures that are not  performed by, or as  a
part  of, devices  or compositions  which are  themselves patentable.  While the
Company cannot predict  whether the  legislation will be  enacted, or  precisely
what  limitations  will  result  from  the law  if  enacted,  any  limitation or
reduction in the patentability  of medical and  surgical methods and  procedures
could  have a material  adverse effect on  the Company's ability  to protect its
proprietary methods and procedures. In addition, the patent laws of European and
certain other  foreign countries  generally do  not allow  for the  issuance  of
patents  for methods of surgery  on the human body.  Accordingly, the ability of
the Company to gain patent protection for its methods of tissue dissection  will
be  significantly  limited. As  a result,  there  can be  no assurance  that the
Company will be able to develop a  patent portfolio in Europe or that the  scope
of any patent protection will provide competitive advantages to the Company. See
"Business -- Patents and Proprietary Rights."
 
ROYALTY PAYMENT OBLIGATIONS
 
    The  Company has acquired  a significant number of  patent rights from third
parties, including rights that apply to the Company's current balloon dissection
systems. The Company has historically paid and is obligated to pay in the future
to such third parties  royalties equal to  4% of sales  of such products,  which
payments  are expected to  exceed minimum royalty  payments due under agreements
with  such  parties.  The  Company   also  has  acquired  patent  rights   under
royalty-bearing   agreements  with  respect  to  certain  surgical  instruments,
including the KnotMaker  product and  the balloon valve  trocar currently  under
development.  The payment of such royalty amounts will have an adverse impact on
the Company's gross  profit and  other results of  operations. There  can be  no
assurance  that the  Company will  be able to  continue to  satisfy such royalty
payment obligations in the future, and a failure to do so could have a  material
adverse  effect on  the Company's business,  financial condition  and results of
operations.
 
EARLY STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT AND COMMERCIALIZATION; NO ASSURANCE OF ABILITY TO
MANAGE GROWTH
 
    The Company began  commercial sales  of its balloon  dissection products  in
September  1993  and,  as a  result,  has limited  experience  in manufacturing,
marketing and  selling  its  products commercially.  The  Company  has  recently
experienced  rapid growth in its facilities and the number of its employees, the
number of  products  under  development,  the  number  and  amount  of  products
manufactured  and  sold, and  the geographic  scope  of its  sales. In  order to
support increased levels  of sales in  the future and  to augment its  long-term
competitive  position, the Company anticipates that  it will be required to make
significant additional expenditures in manufacturing, research and  development,
sales  and marketing, and administration.  The Company's acquisition of Adjacent
Surgical, Inc.  in February  1996  has resulted  in  additional demands  on  the
Company's  limited management resources.  The Company's inability  to manage its
growth effectively  could  have  a  material adverse  effect  on  the  Company's
business,  financial  condition and  results of  operations. See  "Management --
Certain Transactions."
 
COMPETITION; UNCERTAINTY OF TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE
 
    Competition in  the market  for medical  devices used  in tissue  dissection
surgical procedures is intense and is expected to increase. The Company competes
primarily  with other producers of MIS  tissue dissection instruments. Origin, a
subsidiary of Guidant Corporation, and Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., a  subsidiary
of  Johnson  &  Johnson Company,  among  others, currently  compete  against the
Company in the development,  production and marketing  of MIS tissue  dissection
instruments and
 
                                       10
<PAGE>
tissue  dissection technology.  To the  extent that  surgeons elect  to use open
surgical procedures rather than MIS, the Company also competes with producers of
tissue dissection instruments used  in open surgical  procedures, such as  blunt
dissectors  or graspers.  A number  of companies  currently compete  against the
Company in  the  development,  production and  marketing  of  tissue  dissection
instruments  and  technology  for  open surgical  procedures.  In  addition, the
Company indirectly competes with producers of therapeutic drugs, when such drugs
are used as an  alternative to surgery. Many  of the Company's competitors  have
substantially greater capital resources, name recognition, expertise in research
and development, manufacturing and marketing and obtaining regulatory approvals.
There  can be no  assurance that the  Company's competitors will  not succeed in
developing balloon dissectors or competing technologies that are more  effective
than  products marketed by  the Company or that  render the Company's technology
obsolete. Additionally,  even  if  the Company's  products  provide  performance
comparable  to competing products or procedures,  there can be no assurance that
the Company will  be able to  obtain necessary regulatory  approvals or  compete
against competitors in terms of price, manufacturing, marketing and sales.
 
    Many  of  the alternative  treatments for  medical  indications that  can be
treated by  balloon  dissection products  and  laparoscopic surgery  are  widely
accepted  in the medical community and have  a long history of use. In addition,
technological advances with other therapies could make such other therapies more
effective or  cost-effective  than  balloon dissectors  and  minimally  invasive
surgery,  and could render the Company's technology non-competitive or obsolete.
There can be no assurance  that surgeons will use  MIS to replace or  supplement
established  treatments  or that  MIS will  remain  competitive with  current or
future treatments. The failure  of surgeons to adopt  MIS could have a  material
adverse  effect on  the Company's business,  financial condition  and results of
operations.
 
    In addition  to  the Company's  focus  on  the development  of  its  balloon
dissection  systems, the Company has also developed surgical instruments for use
in MIS. There can be no  assurance that the Company's surgical instruments  will
successfully compete with those manufactured by other producers of such surgical
instruments.  The  failure  to  achieve  commercial  market  acceptance  of such
surgical instruments  could have  a  material adverse  effect on  the  Company's
business,  financial  condition  and  results of  operations.  See  "Business --
Competition."
 
UNCERTAIN AVAILABILITY OF THIRD-PARTY REIMBURSEMENT
 
    The Company's success  will depend upon  the ability of  surgeons to  obtain
satisfactory reimbursement from healthcare payors for the Company's products. In
the  United States,  hospitals, physicians  and other  healthcare providers that
purchase medical devices generally rely  on third-party payors, such as  private
health  insurance plans, to reimburse  all or part of  the costs associated with
the treatment of patients. Reimbursement in the United States for the  Company's
balloon dissection products is currently available from most third-party payors,
including  most major  private health care  insurance plans  and Medicaid, under
existing surgical procedure codes. The Company does not expect that  third-party
reimbursement  in  the United  States will  be  available for  use of  its other
products unless and  until clearance or  approval is received  from the  federal
Food  and  Drug Administration  (the  "FDA"). If  FDA  clearance or  approval is
received,  third-party  reimbursement  for  these  products  will  depend   upon
decisions  by individual health maintenance  organizations, private insurers and
other payors. Many payors, including the federal Medicare program, pay a  preset
amount  for the surgical facility component of a surgical procedure. This amount
typically includes medical  devices such  as the Company's.  Thus, the  surgical
facility or surgeon may not recover the added cost of the Company's products. In
addition,  managed care  payors often  limit coverage  to surgical  devices on a
preapproved list or obtained from an exclusive source. If the Company's products
are not on the list or are not available from the exclusive source, the facility
or surgeon will need to obtain an  exception from the payor or the patient  will
be  required to pay  for some or all  of the cost of  the Company's product. The
Company believes that procedures using its balloon dissection products currently
may be reimbursed in the United  States under certain existing procedure  codes.
However,  there  can  be no  assurance  that  such procedure  codes  will remain
available or that the  reimbursement under these codes  will be adequate.  Given
the efforts to control and decrease health care costs in recent years, there can
be no
 
                                       11
<PAGE>
assurance  that any  reimbursement will be  sufficient to permit  the Company to
increase revenues or  achieve or maintain  profitability. The unavailability  of
third-party or other adequate reimbursement could have a material adverse effect
on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations.
 
    Reimbursement   systems  in  international  markets  vary  significantly  by
country, and by region within  some countries, and reimbursement approvals  must
be  obtained  on a  country-by-country  basis. Many  international  markets have
government-managed health care systems that govern reimbursement for new devices
and procedures. In most markets, there are private insurance systems as well  as
government-managed  systems.  Large-scale  market  acceptance  of  the Company's
balloon dissection systems and  other products will  depend on the  availability
and  level of  reimbursement in international  markets targeted  by the Company.
Currently, the Company has been informed by its international distributors  that
the  balloon  dissectors have  been approved  for reimbursement  in many  of the
countries in which  the Company  markets its  products. Obtaining  reimbursement
approvals  can require 12 to 18 months or longer. There can be no assurance that
the Company will obtain reimbursement in  any country within a particular  time,
for  a particular amount, or at all. Failure to obtain such approvals could have
a material adverse  effect on  the Company's business,  financial condition  and
results of operations.
 
    Regardless  of the type  of reimbursement system,  the Company believes that
surgeon advocacy  of its  products  will be  required to  obtain  reimbursement.
Availability  of  reimbursement  will depend  on  the clinical  efficacy  of the
procedure and the utility and  cost of the Company's  products. There can be  no
assurance that reimbursement for the Company's products will be available in the
United  States or  in international markets  under either  government or private
reimbursement systems, or that surgeons will support and advocate  reimbursement
for  use of the Company's systems for  all applications intended by the Company.
Failure by surgeons,  hospitals and  other users  of the  Company's products  to
obtain  sufficient reimbursement from  health care payors  or adverse changes in
government and  private third-party  payors' policies  toward reimbursement  for
procedures employing the Company's products could have a material adverse effect
on  the Company's business,  financial condition and  results of operations. See
"Business -- Third-Party Reimbursement."
 
GOVERNMENT REGULATION
 
    The Company's Spacemaker balloon dissection  systems and other products  are
subject to extensive and rigorous regulation by the FDA and, to varying degrees,
by  state and  foreign regulatory  agencies. Under  the federal  Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic Act, the  FDA regulates  the clinical  testing, manufacture,  labeling,
packaging,  marketing, distribution and  record keeping for  medical devices, in
order to ensure that medical devices  distributed in the United States are  safe
and  effective for  their intended  use. Prior  to commercialization,  a medical
device generally must receive FDA and foreign regulatory clearance or  approval,
which  can be an expensive,  lengthy and uncertain process.  The Company is also
subject to  routine  inspection by  the  FDA and  state  agencies, such  as  the
California  Department  of Health  Services ("CDHS"),  for compliance  with Good
Manufacturing Practice requirements, Medical  Device Reporting requirements  and
other  applicable  regulations. Noncompliance  with applicable  requirements can
result  in  warning   letters,  import  detentions,   fines,  civil   penalties,
injunctions, suspensions or losses of regulatory approvals, recall or seizure of
products,  operating restrictions, refusal of  the government to approve product
export applications or  allow the Company  to enter into  supply contracts,  and
criminal  prosecution. Delays  in receipt of,  or failure  to obtain, regulatory
clearances and approvals, if obtained, or any failure to comply with  regulatory
requirements  could have  a material adverse  effect on  the Company's business,
financial condition and results of operations.
 
    Labeling and promotional activities are subject to scrutiny by the FDA  and,
in   certain  circumstances,  by  the  Federal  Trade  Commission.  Current  FDA
enforcement policy  prohibits  the marketing  of  approved medical  devices  for
unapproved  uses. The Spacemaker I  platform, Spacemaker II platform, Spacemaker
Resposable platform, and KnotMaker product  each have received 510(k)  clearance
 
                                       12
<PAGE>
for  use during general, endoscopic, laparoscopic or cosmetic and reconstructive
surgery, either  when tissue  dissection is  required or,  with respect  to  the
KnotMaker  product, when a  surgical knot for suturing  is required. The Company
has promoted  these products  for surgical  applications (E.G.,  hernia  repair,
subfascial   endoscopic   perforator   surgery  and   breast   augmentation  and
reconstruction), and may in the future promote these products for the dissection
or knotmaking required for additional selected applications (E.G., treatment  of
stress  urinary  incontinence,  saphenous  vein  harvesting  and  a  variety  of
orthopedic procedures such as  anterior spinal fusion).  For any medical  device
cleared  through the  510(k) process,  modifications or  enhancements that could
significantly  affect  the  safety  or  effectiveness  of  the  device  or  that
constitute  a major change to the intended use  of the device will require a new
510(k) submission. The Company has made modifications to its products which  the
Company  believes do  not affect  the safety or  effectiveness of  the device or
constitute a major change to the intended  use and therefore do not require  the
submission  of new 510(k) notices. There can  be no assurance, however, that the
FDA will agree  with any of  the Company's  determinations not to  submit a  new
510(k) notice for any of these changes or will not require the Company to submit
a  new  510(k) notice  for  any of  the  changes made  to  the product.  If such
additional 510(k) clearances are  required, there can be  no assurance that  the
Company  will obtain them on a timely basis, if at all, and delays in receipt of
or failure to receive such approvals could have a material adverse effect on the
Company's business, financial condition  and results of  operations. If the  FDA
requires the Company to submit a new 510(k) notice for any product modification,
the  Company may  be prohibited  from marketing  the modified  product until the
510(k) notice  is  cleared by  the  FDA. The  Company  plans to  file  a  510(k)
submission  for its  specialized trocar with  a balloon valve,  which provides a
seal to maintain insufflation of the surgical space during MIS. There can be  no
assurance that the FDA will grant 510(k) clearance for the Company's specialized
trocar on a timely basis, if at all.
 
    Sales of medical devices outside of the United States are subject to foreign
regulatory  requirements that vary  widely from country  to country. The Company
currently relies on its international distributors for the receipt of  premarket
approvals  and compliance  with clinical  trial requirements  in those countries
that require them, and it expects to  continue to rely on distributors in  those
countries where the Company continues to use distributors. In the event that the
Company's  international  distributors  fail  to  obtain  or  maintain premarket
approvals or compliance in foreign countries where such approvals or  compliance
are required, the Company may be required to cause the applicable distributor to
file  revised governmental notifications, cease commercial sales of its products
in the  applicable  countries  or  otherwise  act so  as  to  stop  any  ongoing
noncompliance   in  such   countries.  Any  enforcement   action  by  regulatory
authorities with respect to  past or any  future regulatory noncompliance  could
have  a material adverse  effect on the  Company's business, financial condition
and results of operations.
 
    In order to continue selling its products within the European Economic  Area
following June 14, 1998, the Company will be required to achieve compliance with
the  requirements of the Medical  Devices Directive (the "MDD")  and to affix CE
marking on its  products to attest  such compliance. Failure  by the Company  to
comply  with CE marking  requirements by June  1998 would mean  that the Company
would be unable to sell  its products in the  European Economic Area unless  and
until  compliance was achieved, which could  have a material adverse effect upon
the Company's  business,  financial condition  and  results of  operations.  See
"Business -- Government Regulation."
 
LIMITED MANUFACTURING EXPERIENCE; UNCERTAINTY REGARDING FUTURE FACILITIES
 
    The  Company has  only limited experience  in manufacturing  its products in
commercial quantities. The  Company intends to  scale up its  production of  new
products  and  to  increase  its manufacturing  capacity  for  existing  and new
products. However,  manufacturers often  encounter  difficulties in  scaling  up
production  of  new products,  including  problems involving  production yields,
quality control  and  assurance, component  supply  and shortages  of  qualified
personnel. Difficulties experienced by the Company in manufacturing scale-up and
manufacturing difficulties could have a material adverse
 
                                       13
<PAGE>
effect on its business, financial condition and results of operations. There can
be  no assurance that  the Company will be  successful in scaling  up or that it
will not experience manufacturing difficulties or product recalls in the future.
 
    The Company occupies a single facility in Palo Alto, California that  houses
its    headquarters,   administrative   offices,   research   laboratories   and
manufacturing facilities. This facility  is subject to a  lease that expires  in
March  1997. While  the Company  believes that  this space  is adequate  for its
immediate needs,  GSI will  need to  obtain additional  office, development  and
manufacturing  space to accommodate expected  business growth during 1997. There
can be no  assurance that the  Company will  be able to  obtain such  additional
facilities  on commercially reasonable terms, or at  all. If the Company is able
to lease such additional space, there can be no assurance that the Company  will
be  able to  establish and certify  adequate manufacturing capacity  in a timely
manner, or  at  all,  in such  space.  Failure  to obtain  additional  space  or
establish  and certify adequate manufacturing capacity  in a timely manner could
have a material adverse  effect on the  Company's business, financial  condition
and results of operations. See "Business -- Manufacturing" and "-- Facilities."
 
DEPENDENCE ON SINGLE SOURCE SUPPLIERS; LACK OF CONTRACTUAL ARRANGEMENTS
 
    The  Company  currently  relies  upon single  source  suppliers  for several
components of its balloon  dissection products, and in  most cases there are  no
formal  supply contracts. There can be no assurance that the component materials
obtained from single source suppliers will continue to be available in  adequate
quantities  or, if required, that the Company will be able to locate alternative
sources of such component materials on a timely basis to market its products. In
addition, there can be no assurance  that the single source suppliers will  meet
the  Company's future requirements for timely delivery of products of sufficient
quality and quantity. The failure to obtain sufficient quantities and  qualities
of  such component materials, or the loss  of any of the Company's single source
suppliers, could  cause a  delay in  GSI's ability  to fulfill  orders while  it
identifies  and  certifies a  replacement supplier,  and  could have  a material
adverse effect on  the Company's  business, financial condition  and results  of
operations. See "Business -- Manufacturing."
 
FUTURE ADDITIONAL CAPITAL REQUIREMENTS; NO ASSURANCE FUTURE CAPITAL WILL BE
AVAILABLE
 
    The   Company's  capital  requirements  will  depend  on  numerous  factors,
including the progress of  the Company's marketing-related clinical  evaluations
and  product  development programs;  the receipt  of, and  the time  required to
obtain, regulatory clearances and approvals;  the resources the Company  devotes
to  the development,  manufacture and marketing  of its  products; the resources
required to hire and develop a direct sales force to supplement its  independent
distributors  and  to  expand manufacturing  capacity;  facilities requirements;
market acceptance and demand for its products; and other factors. The timing and
amount  of   such  capital   requirements   cannot  be   accurately   predicted.
Consequently,  although the Company believes that  the proceeds of this offering
will provide  adequate funding  for its  capital requirements  through  calendar
1997,  the Company may be  required to raise additional  funds through public or
private financings, collaborative  relationships or  other arrangements  earlier
than  expected. There  can be  no assurance  that the  Company will  not require
additional funding or that such additional funding, if needed, will be available
on terms attractive to the Company, or at all. Any additional equity  financings
may  be dilutive to shareholders, and  debt financing, if available, may involve
restrictive covenants. See  "Use of Proceeds"  and "Management's Discussion  and
Analysis  of  Financial Condition  and Results  of  Operations --  Liquidity and
Capital Resources."
 
PRODUCT LIABILITY RISK AND PRODUCT RECALL; LIMITED INSURANCE COVERAGE
 
    The Company's business exposes  it to potential  product liability risks  or
product  recalls that are  inherent in the  design, development, manufacture and
marketing of medical devices, in the event the use of the Company's products  is
alleged  to  have caused  adverse  effects on  a  patient or  such  products are
believed to be  defective. The  Company's products are  designed to  be used  in
certain  procedures where there is a high  risk of serious injury or death. Such
risks will exist even with respect to those products that have received, or  may
in   the  future   receive,  regulatory   clearance  for   commercial  sale.  As
 
                                       14
<PAGE>
a result,  there  can be  no  assurance  that the  Company's  product  liability
insurance  is  adequate or  that  such insurance  coverage  will continue  to be
available on commercially  reasonable terms  or at all.  Particularly given  the
lack  of data regarding the  long-term results of the  use of balloon dissection
products, there can be no assurance  the Company will avoid significant  product
liability  claims. Consequently, a  product liability claim  or other claim with
respect to uninsured or underinsured  liabilities could have a material  adverse
effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations.
See "Business -- Product Liability and Insurance."
 
RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH INTERNATIONAL SALES
    Sales outside of the United States accounted for approximately 2%, 3% and 2%
of  the Company's sales  in fiscal 1994,  fiscal 1995 and  the nine months ended
March 31, 1996, respectively, and  the Company expects that international  sales
will  represent  an increasing  portion of  revenue in  the future.  The Company
intends to continue  to expand its  sales outside  of the United  States and  to
enter   additional  international   markets,  which   will  require  significant
management attention and financial resources and subject the Company further  to
the  risks of selling internationally. These risks include unexpected changes in
regulatory requirements, tariffs  and other barriers  and restrictions,  reduced
protection for intellectual property rights, and the burdens of complying with a
variety  of foreign laws.  In addition, because  all of the  Company's sales are
denominated in U.S. dollars, fluctuations in the U.S. dollar could increase  the
price  in local currencies of the Company's products in foreign markets and make
the Company's products relatively more expensive than competitors' products that
are denominated in local currencies. There can be no assurance that  regulatory,
currency and other factors will not adversely impact the Company's operations in
the  future or require the Company to modify its current business practices. See
"Business -- Marketing, Sales and Distribution."
 
DEPENDENCE ON MANAGEMENT AND OTHER KEY PERSONNEL
 
    The Company  is  dependent upon  a  limited  number of  key  management  and
technical  personnel.  The loss  of  the services  of one  or  more of  such key
employees could  have  a material  adverse  effect on  the  Company's  business,
financial  condition,  and results  of  operations. In  addition,  the Company's
success will be  dependent upon  its ability  to attract  and retain  additional
highly  qualified sales, management, manufacturing  and research and development
personnel. The Company  faces intense competition  in its recruiting  activities
and  there can be no  assurance that the Company will  be able to attract and/or
retain qualified personnel. See "Management."
 
CONTROL BY OFFICERS, DIRECTORS AND PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS
 
    Following completion  of this  offering, directors,  executive officers  and
principal  shareholders of the Company,  will beneficially own approximately 35%
of the  outstanding shares  of the  Company's Common  Stock. Accordingly,  these
persons,  individually and as  a group, may  be able to  effectively control the
Company and direct its  affairs and business,  including any determination  with
respect  to a change in control of the Company, future issuances of Common Stock
or other securities by the Company, declaration of dividends on the Common Stock
and the election of directors. See "Principal Shareholders."
 
BROAD MANAGEMENT DISCRETION IN ALLOCATION OF PROCEEDS
 
   
    The Company expects to use approximately  $20.1 million, or 49%, of the  net
proceeds of this offering for working capital and general corporate purposes and
has  not  yet allocated  such proceeds  to any  specific purpose.  The Company's
management will, therefore, retain  broad discretion as to  the allocation of  a
significant  portion of  the net  proceeds of  this offering,  including but not
limited to  allocating such  proceeds to  the funding  of additional  sales  and
marketing, research and development, marketing-related clinical evaluations, and
other general corporate purposes. See "Use of Proceeds."
    
 
EFFECT OF CERTAIN CHARTER AND BYLAW PROVISIONS; CHANGE OF CONTROL
 
    Upon completion of this offering, the Board of Directors will have authority
to issue up to 2,000,000 shares of preferred stock and to fix the price, rights,
preferences,  privileges  and restrictions,  including  voting rights,  of those
shares without any further vote or action by the shareholders. The rights of the
holders of Common Stock will  be subject to, and  may be adversely affected  by,
the  rights of  the holders  of any preferred  stock that  may be  issued in the
future. The issuance of preferred  stock, while providing desirable  flexibility
in    connection    with    possible    acquisitions    and    other   corporate
 
                                       15
<PAGE>
purposes, may have the effect of  delaying, deferring or preventing a change  in
control  of the Company, may  discourage bids for the  Common Stock at a premium
over the market price of  the Common Stock and  may adversely affect the  market
price of and the voting and other rights of the holders of the Common Stock. The
Company's  Board  of Directors  has also  approved  amendments to  the Company's
Articles  of  Incorporation  and  Bylaws  to  provide  (subject  to  shareholder
approval),  among other things,  the elimination of  actions to be  taken by the
Company's shareholders  by written  consent  and certain  procedures,  including
advance  notice  procedures  with regard  to  the nomination  of  candidates for
election as  directors, other  than  by or  at the  direction  of the  Board  of
Directors.  The foregoing  provisions could  have the  effect of  making it more
difficult for a third party  to acquire, or of  discouraging a third party  from
attempting  to  acquire,  a majority  of  the  outstanding voting  stock  of the
Company, and may make  more difficult or discourage  a takeover of the  Company.
See "Description of Capital Stock."
 
    From  time  to time,  the  Company has  had  discussions with  third parties
regarding various strategic relationships, including  the potential sale of  the
Company,  although the Company currently has  no commitments with respect to any
such relationships.  The  Company may  continue  to have  discussions  regarding
potential  strategic  relationships  in the  future,  however, there  can  be no
assurance that any such strategic relationship will occur.
 
SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE
 
    Sales of shares of Common Stock  (including shares issued upon the  exercise
of outstanding options) in the public market after this offering could adversely
affect  the market price of the Common Stock. Such sales also might make it more
difficult for the Company to sell equity securities or equity-related securities
in the future  at a  time and  price that  the Company  deems appropriate.  Upon
completion  of  this offering,  the Company  will have  approximately 12,653,342
shares of Common Stock outstanding. The 3,000,000 shares offered hereby will  be
freely  tradable  without  restriction.  The  remaining  approximately 9,653,342
shares are restricted securities that may  be sold only if registered under  the
Securities  Act  or  sold  in  accordance  with  an  applicable  exemption  from
registration, such as  Rule 144 promulgated  under the Securities  Act. None  of
these  shares  will  be  available  for sale  upon  the  effective  date  of the
Registration Statement  of  which this  Prospectus  is a  part  (the  "Effective
Date").  Beginning  180 days  after the  Effective Date  upon the  expiration of
agreements not to  sell such  shares (the  "Lock-up Agreements"),  approximately
7,498,171  shares and 428,538 shares subject to vested stock options will become
eligible for sale, subject to  the provisions of Rule  144(k), Rule 144 or  Rule
701 promulgated under the Securities Act. See "Shares Eligible for Future Sale."
 
NO PRIOR PUBLIC MARKET FOR COMMON STOCK; POTENTIAL VOLATILITY OF STOCK PRICE
 
   
    Prior  to this offering, there was no public market for the Common Stock and
there can be no assurance that an active public market for the Common Stock will
develop or be sustained after this  offering. The initial public offering  price
was  determined through negotiations  between the Company  and the Underwriters.
See "Underwriting." In addition, the securities  markets have from time to  time
experienced  significant price and volume fluctuations that are unrelated to the
operating performance of particular companies.  The market prices of the  common
stock  of many publicly held medical device companies have in the past been, and
can in  the future  be expected  to be,  especially volatile.  Announcements  of
technological  innovations or  new products by  the Company  or its competitors,
clinical marketing trial  results, release  of reports  by securities  analysts,
developments  or disputes  concerning patents or  proprietary rights, regulatory
developments, changes in regulatory or medical reimbursement policies,  economic
and  other external  factors, as  well as  period-to-period fluctuations  in the
Company's financial results, may have a  significant impact on the market  price
of the Common Stock.
    
 
DILUTION; ABSENCE OF DIVIDENDS
    Purchasers  of the  shares of  Common Stock  offered hereby  will experience
immediate and substantial dilution  in net tangible book  value per share.  Such
investors  will experience additional dilution  upon the exercise of outstanding
options. The Company has never paid dividends  on its Common Stock and does  not
anticipate  paying any cash dividends in  the foreseeable future. See "Dilution"
and "Dividend Policy."
 
                                       16
<PAGE>
                                USE OF PROCEEDS
 
   
    The net proceeds to  the Company from  the sale of  the 3,000,000 shares  of
Common  Stock offered hereby  are approximately $41,050,000  ($47,327,500 if the
Underwriters' over-allotment option is exercised in full), at the initial public
offering price of $15.00  per share and  after deducting underwriting  discounts
and commissions and offering expenses payable by the Company.
    
 
   
    The Company anticipates that it will use approximately $9 million of the net
proceeds  of this offering  to expand sales and  marketing activities (which are
expected to include  the development  of direct sales  capabilities in  selected
markets  to supplement the Company's independent distributors), approximately $6
million to  fund  the  Company's research  and  development  efforts,  including
capital   expenditures,  approximately  $3  million  to  fund  marketing-related
clinical evaluations in  support of regulatory  approvals and marketing  efforts
and  approximately $3 million for expansion and development of manufacturing and
other facilities. The Company will use the remaining approximately $20.1 million
of the net  proceeds for  working capital  and general  corporate purposes.  The
Company  also  may use  a portion  of  the net  proceeds to  acquire businesses,
technologies or products complementary to  the Company's business, although  the
Company  currently  has no  specific plans  or commitments  in this  regard. The
amounts actually expended for each purpose may vary significantly depending upon
numerous factors,  including the  progress  of the  Company's  marketing-related
clinical  evaluations and actions  related to regulatory  matters, and the costs
and timing of expansion  of marketing, sales  and manufacturing activities.  The
Company's  management will have  particularly broad discretion  to allocate that
portion of  the net  proceeds of  this  offering estimated  to be  expended  for
working  capital and general corporate purposes.  Pending such uses, the Company
intends to  invest  the  net  proceeds of  this  offering  in  interest-bearing,
investment grade securities. See "Risk Factors -- Broad Management Discretion in
Allocation of Proceeds."
    
 
                                DIVIDEND POLICY
 
    The Company has not declared or paid any cash dividends on its capital stock
since inception and does not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable
future.  The Company currently intends to retain  any future earnings for use in
the operation  of  its  business.  In addition,  the  Company's  current  credit
arrangements  prohibit the  payment of cash  dividends on  the Company's capital
stock.
 
                                       17
<PAGE>
                                 CAPITALIZATION
 
   
    The following table sets  forth the capitalization of  the Company at  March
31,  1996 (i) on an  actual basis and (ii) as  adjusted to reflect the automatic
conversion of the  outstanding shares  of Preferred  Stock of  the Company  into
Common  Stock and the  sale of 3,000,000  shares of Common  Stock offered by the
Company hereby at the initial public  offering price of $15.00 per share  (after
deducting  underwriting discounts and commissions  and offering expenses payable
by the Company). This table should be read in conjunction with the  Consolidated
Financial  Statements and related Notes thereto and "Management's Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," appearing  elsewhere
in this Prospectus.
    
 
   
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                              MARCH 31, 1996
                                                                                          -----------------------
                                                                                            ACTUAL    AS ADJUSTED
                                                                                          ----------  -----------
                                                                                           (IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT
                                                                                                SHARE DATA)
<S>                                                                                       <C>         <C>
Notes payable...........................................................................  $      250      --
                                                                                          ----------
Convertible redeemable preferred stock..................................................      15,547      --
                                                                                          ----------
Shareholders' equity (deficit):
  Preferred stock, $.001 par value pro forma, 2,000,000 shares authorized, none issued
   and outstanding......................................................................      --          --
  Common Stock, $.001 par value, 10,000,000 shares authorized, 3,753,007 shares issued
   and outstanding actual; pro forma 50,000,000 shares authorized, 12,653,342 shares
   issued and outstanding as adjusted (1)...............................................           4          13
  Additional paid-in capital............................................................       2,142      58,980
  Accumulated deficit...................................................................     (13,787)    (13,787)
  Notes receivable from shareholders....................................................        (120)       (120)
  Deferred compensation.................................................................        (530)       (530)
                                                                                          ----------  -----------
    Total shareholders' equity (deficit)................................................     (12,291)     44,556
                                                                                          ----------  -----------
      Total capitalization..............................................................  $    3,506   $  44,556
                                                                                          ----------  -----------
                                                                                          ----------  -----------
</TABLE>
    
 
- ------------------------
 
(1)  Based on the number of shares outstanding  as of March 31, 1996. Assumes no
    exercise of the Underwriters' over-allotment option. Reflects a 1.37-for-one
    split of the Company's capital stock approved in March 1996, the  conversion
    of  all outstanding shares of convertible  redeemable preferred stock of the
    Company into  an aggregate  of 5,833,698  shares of  Common Stock  upon  the
    closing  of this offering  and assumes the conversion  of notes payable into
    66,637 shares of the  Company's Common Stock.  Excludes 1,133,266 shares  of
    Common Stock issuable upon exercise of stock options outstanding as of March
    31, 1996 under the Company's stock option plans.
 
                                       18
<PAGE>
                                    DILUTION
 
   
    The  pro forma net tangible book value of  the Company as of March 31, 1996,
was $3.2 million,  or $0.33 per  share. Pro  forma net tangible  book value  per
share  represents the amount  of the Company's total  tangible assets less total
liabilities, divided  by  the  number  of outstanding  shares  of  Common  Stock
outstanding  after giving effect to the  conversion of all outstanding shares of
Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock, into  Common Stock upon closing of  this
offering.  Net tangible book value dilution  per share represents the difference
between the amount per share paid by purchases of shares of Common Stock in  the
offering  made hereby and the net tangible  book value per share of Common Stock
immediately after the completion  of this offering. After  giving effect to  the
sale  by the Company of  the 3,000,000 shares of  Common Stock offered hereby at
the initial public  offering price of  $15.00 per share  and after deduction  of
underwriting  discounts  and commissions  and offering  expenses payable  by the
Company, the Company's pro forma net tangible book value at March 31, 1996 would
have been approximately $44,273,000,  or $3.50 per share  of Common Stock.  This
represents  an immediate increase in pro forma  net tangible book value of $3.17
per share to existing shareholders and an immediate dilution of $11.50 per share
to investors purchasing shares of Common  Stock in this offering. The  following
table illustrates this per share dilution:
    
 
   
<TABLE>
<S>                                                                   <C>        <C>
Initial public offering price per share.............................             $   15.00
  Pro forma net tangible book value per share at March 31, 1996.....  $    0.33
  Increase per share attributable to new investors..................       3.17
                                                                      ---------
  Pro forma net tangible book value per share after this offering...                  3.50
                                                                                 ---------
Dilution to new investors...........................................             $   11.50
                                                                                 ---------
                                                                                 ---------
</TABLE>
    
 
   
    The  following  table  sets  forth  the number  of  shares  of  Common Stock
purchased from the Company, the total  consideration paid and the average  price
per  share paid by existing  shareholders and to be  paid (at the initial public
offering price  of $15.00  per share)  by purchasers  of shares  offered by  the
Company  hereby  (before deducting  underwriting  discounts and  commissions and
offering expenses payable by the Company).
    
 
   
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                       SHARES PURCHASED            TOTAL CONSIDERATION       AVERAGE
                                                  ---------------------------  ---------------------------    PRICE
                                                      NUMBER        PERCENT        AMOUNT        PERCENT    PER SHARE
                                                  --------------  -----------  --------------  -----------  ---------
<S>                                               <C>             <C>          <C>             <C>          <C>
Existing shareholders...........................       9,653,342       76.3%   $   15,151,022       25.2%   $    1.57
New shareholders................................       3,000,000       23.7        45,000,000       74.8%       15.00
                                                  --------------      -----    --------------      -----
    Total.......................................      12,653,342      100.0%   $   60,151,022      100.0%
                                                  --------------      -----    --------------      -----
                                                  --------------      -----    --------------      -----
</TABLE>
    
 
    The foregoing calculations assume no exercise of outstanding options. As  of
March  31,  1996,  there were  1,133,266  shares  of Common  Stock  reserved for
issuance upon exercise of  outstanding options. To the  extent such options  are
exercised,  there will  be further dilution  to investors in  this offering. See
"Management -- Stock Options."
 
                                       19
<PAGE>
                      SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA
 
    The following  selected  consolidated  financial  data  of  the  Company  is
qualified  by reference to  and should be read  in conjunction with Management's
Discussion and Analysis  of Financial  Condition and Results  of Operations  and
with  the Company's consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included
elsewhere in this Prospectus. The consolidated statements of operations data for
each of the three years in the period ended June 30, 1995 and nine months  ended
March  31, 1996 and the  related consolidated balance sheet  data as of June 30,
1993, 1994, 1995  and March  31, 1996,  are derived  from, or  are qualified  by
reference  to, the audited consolidated  financial statements included elsewhere
in this Prospectus.  The unaudited consolidated  financial statements have  been
prepared  by  the  Company on  a  basis  consistent with  the  Company's audited
consolidated financial statements and in  the opinion of management include  all
adjustments,  consisting only of  normal recurring adjustments,  necessary for a
fair presentation of the  information. Results for  the nine-month period  ended
March  31, 1996 may not  necessarily be indicative of  results for the full year
ending June 30, 1996.
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                               NINE MONTHS ENDED
                                                              FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30,           MARCH 31,
                                                            -------------------------------  ----------------------
                                                              1993       1994       1995                    1996
                                                            ---------  ---------  ---------               ---------
                                                                                                1995
                                                                                             -----------
                                                                                             (UNAUDITED)
                                                                     (IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT PER SHARE DATA)
<S>                                                         <C>        <C>        <C>        <C>          <C>
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS DATA (1):
  Sales...................................................  $  --      $     789  $   2,437   $   1,805   $   3,421
  Cost of sales...........................................     --            600      1,262         908       1,654
                                                            ---------  ---------  ---------  -----------  ---------
    Gross profit..........................................     --            189      1,175         897       1,767
  Operating expenses:
    Research and development..............................        750        496        975         735         864
    Sales and marketing...................................         42      1,532      2,859       1,965       2,578
    General and administrative............................        398      1,338      1,400       1,127       1,120
    Write-off of acquired in-process research and
     development..........................................                                                    2,791
                                                            ---------  ---------  ---------  -----------  ---------
      Total operating expenses............................      1,190      3,366      5,234       3,827       7,353
                                                            ---------  ---------  ---------  -----------  ---------
  Loss from operations....................................     (1,190)    (3,177)    (4,059)     (2,930)     (5,586)
  Interest and other income (expense), net................         18         58          8          (6)        151
                                                            ---------  ---------  ---------  -----------  ---------
  Net loss................................................  $  (1,172) $  (3,119) $  (4,051)  $  (2,936)  $  (5,435)
                                                            ---------  ---------  ---------  -----------  ---------
                                                            ---------  ---------  ---------  -----------  ---------
  Pro forma net loss per share (2)........................                        $   (0.40)              $   (0.53)
  Shares used in computing pro forma net loss
   per share (2)..........................................                           10,241                  10,301
</TABLE>
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                           JUNE 30,                MARCH 31,
                                                                -------------------------------  --------------
                                                                  1993       1994       1995          1996
                                                                ---------  ---------  ---------  --------------
                                                                                (IN THOUSANDS)
<S>                                                             <C>        <C>        <C>        <C>
BALANCE SHEET DATA:
  Cash and cash equivalents...................................  $     336  $   2,301  $   4,541   $      3,904
  Working capital.............................................        169      2,516      4,457          2,788
  Total assets................................................        560      3,525      6,245          6,708
  Convertible redeemable preferred stock......................      1,462      6,841     13,225         15,547
  Total shareholders' equity (deficit)........................     (1,161)    (4,279)    (8,316)       (12,291)
</TABLE>
 
- ------------------------
(1) The Company  did not conduct  material operations from  April 13, 1992,  the
    Company's inception date, through June 30, 1992. Operating expenses were not
    material  and approximated $10,000 for  the period and, therefore, financial
    data for this period is not presented.
 
(2) See Note 14 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for an explanation
    of the determination of the number of  shares used to compute pro forma  net
    loss per share.
 
                                       20
<PAGE>
                    MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
                 FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
 
    THE   FOLLOWING  DISCUSSION  OF  THE  FINANCIAL  CONDITION  AND  RESULTS  OF
OPERATIONS OF THE COMPANY  SHOULD BE READ IN  CONJUNCTION WITH THE  CONSOLIDATED
FINANCIAL  STATEMENTS AND THE  RELATED NOTES THERETO  INCLUDED ELSEWHERE IN THIS
PROSPECTUS.
 
OVERVIEW
 
    Since its inception in April 1992, GSI has been engaged in the  development,
manufacturing  and marketing of balloon dissection systems and related minimally
invasive surgical instruments. The Company began commercial sales of its balloon
dissection systems for hernia repair in September 1993. To date, the Company has
received from the FDA four 510(k) clearances for use of the Company's technology
to perform dissection of tissue planes anywhere in the body using a broad  range
of  balloon sizes and shapes. The Company currently sells products in the United
States and certain other  countries, including the  United Kingdom, Germany  and
France,  for selected applications, such  as hernia repair, saphenous endoscopic
perforator surgery and breast augmentation and reconstruction surgery.
 
    In March 1994, the Company entered  into a distribution agreement with  USSC
providing USSC with limited exclusive rights to distribute the Company's balloon
dissection  systems in the  hernia repair market  in both the  United States and
certain international  countries,  and USSC  is  obligated to  purchase  minimum
quantities  of  the  Company's  products.  Substantially  all  of  the Company's
revenues  have  been  derived  from  sales  to  USSC,  which  include  sales  to
Autosuture,  Inc., a  subsidiary of  USSC, with  USSC representing approximately
68%, 75% and 87% of  the Company's total net revenues  for fiscal 1994 and  1995
and  the nine months  ended March 31,  1996, respectively. Sales  outside of the
United States accounted for approximately 2%,  3% and 2% of the Company's  sales
in  fiscal  1994,  fiscal  1995  and  the  nine  months  ended  March  31, 1996,
respectively, and the Company expects that international sales will represent an
increasing portion of revenue  in the future. The  Company records all sales  to
USSC as domestic sales; however, sales of the Company's products by USSC include
sales  to European  and other  foreign countries,  made through  Autosuture. The
Company's sales  to USSC  have fluctuated  significantly in  the past,  and  the
Company  anticipates that such sales could fluctuate in the future. In addition,
the distribution agreement with USSC expires in March 1997, and there can be  no
assurance  that such agreement will  be renewed on the  same or similar terms. A
significant reduction in orders  from USSC or a  failure to renew the  agreement
with  USSC  could have  a  material adverse  effect  on the  Company's business,
financial condition and results of  operations. See "Risk Factors --  Dependence
Upon Key Distributor; Limited Marketing and Direct Sales Experience."
 
    Additional  sales in  the United States  are currently made  through a small
direct sales force. The  Company currently sells  its products in  international
markets  through a  limited number  of distributors  who resell  to surgeons and
hospitals. The Company plans  to increase its direct  sales force in the  United
States  and may  seek to  establish a direct  sales force  in one  or more other
countries in the future. Any increase  in the Company's direct sales force  will
require  significant expenditures and additional management resources. There can
be no  assurance that  any such  direct  sales force,  if established,  will  be
successful.
 
    To  date, all of the sales to USCC  and other distributors and almost all of
the sales by the Company's direct sales force have been for use in hernia repair
procedures. While the Company has developed balloon dissection systems for other
applications, sales of  products for  hernia repair  are expected  to provide  a
majority of the Company's revenues at least through fiscal 1997. There can be no
assurance  that  the Company  will  be successful  in  generating sales  of such
products for any other applications.
 
    The Company has acquired  a significant number of  patent rights from  third
parties, including rights that apply to the Company's current balloon dissection
systems. The Company has historically
 
                                       21
<PAGE>
paid and is obligated to pay in the future to such third parties royalties equal
to  4% of sales of such products,  which payments are expected to exceed certain
minimum royalty payments due under agreements with such parties. The Company has
also acquired patent  rights under  royalty-bearing agreements  with respect  to
certain  surgical instruments, including  the KnotMaker product  and the balloon
valve trocar currently under development.
 
    In February 1996, the  Company acquired Adjacent  Surgical, Inc., a  company
engaged  in the  development of balloon  dissection systems for  use in vascular
applications.  The  transaction  resulted  in  a  one-time  expense  related  to
in-process  research  and  development  of approximately  $2.8  million,  in the
quarter ending March 31,  1996. See "Management  -- Certain Transactions."  From
time  to  time, the  Company has  had discussions  with third  parties regarding
various strategic relationships,  including the potential  sale of the  Company,
although  the  Company currently  has no  commitments with  respect to  any such
relationships. The Company may continue to have discussions regarding  potential
strategic  relationships in the future. However,  there can be no assurance that
any such strategic relationship will occur.
 
    The Company  has  a  limited  history  of  operations  and  has  experienced
significant operating losses since inception. The Company expects such operating
losses to continue at least through calendar 1996. The increase in the Company's
sales to date has been due to demand for the Company's balloon dissector systems
principally  for hernia repair. In order to support increased levels of sales in
the future  and to  augment its  long-term competitive  position, including  the
development  of balloon dissection  systems for other  applications, the Company
anticipates that it will be required to make significant additional expenditures
in manufacturing, research and development (including marketing related clinical
evaluations), sales and marketing and  administration. In addition, the  Company
anticipates  higher administration expenses resulting  from its obligations as a
public reporting company upon completion of this offering.
 
    The Company anticipates that its results of operations may fluctuate for the
foreseeable future due to several factors, including purchases of the  Company's
products  by USSC, the status  of the Company's relationship  with USSC or other
partners, the mix of sales among the distributors and the Company's direct sales
force, timing of new product introductions  or transitions to new products,  the
margins  recognized from products for  various surgical procedures, the progress
of marketing-related  clinical  evaluations,  the  introduction  of  competitive
products (including pricing pressures), activities related to patents and patent
approvals  (including litigation)  and regulatory  and third-party reimbursement
matters, the Company's ability to manufacture its products efficiently, and  the
timing   of  research  and  development  expenses  (including  marketing-related
clinical evaluations). In addition, the Company's results of operations could be
affected by the timing of orders  from distributors, expansion of the  Company's
distributor  network, the ability  of the Company's  distributors to effectively
promote the Company's  products and the  ability of the  Company to quickly  and
cost effectively increase its direct domestic sales force. The Company's limited
operating   history  makes  accurate  prediction  of  future  operating  results
difficult or impossible. Although  the Company has  experienced sales growth  in
recent  periods, there can be no assurance that, in the future, the Company will
sustain sales growth  or gain profitability  on a quarterly  or annual basis  or
that its growth will be consistent with predictions made by securities analysts.
 
    The  Company  currently manufactures  and  ships product  shortly  after the
receipt  of  orders,  and  anticipates  that  it  will  do  so  in  the  future.
Accordingly,  the Company has  not developed a significant  backlog and does not
anticipate that it will develop a material backlog in the future.
 
                                       22
<PAGE>
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
 
    NINE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 1996 AND 1995
 
    SALES.  Sales increased by 90% to  $3.4 million in the first nine months  of
fiscal  1996 from  $1.8 million in  the first  nine months of  fiscal 1995. This
increase was due  primarily to  the growth  in unit  sales of  the Spacemaker  I
platform  to USSC for the  hernia market and, to a  lesser extent, from sales of
the Spacemaker II platform, which was introduced in October 1995.
 
    COST OF SALES.  Cost of sales increased by 82% to $1.7 million in the  first
nine  months of  fiscal 1996 from  $908,000 in  the first nine  months of fiscal
1995, and decreased as a percentage of sales to 48% in the 1996 period from  50%
in  the 1995 period. This increase in absolute dollars was primarily a result of
the costs  of  additional  manufacturing capacity  and  personnel  necessary  to
support  increased sales  volume, which was  offset by  leveraging certain fixed
overhead expenses across  a higher  base of sales.  The cost  of sales  includes
royalties  paid to certain  patent inventors of  4% of certain  net sales of the
Company's balloon dissection systems.
 
    RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EXPENSES.  Research and development expenses, which
include expenditures for marketing-related  clinical evaluations and  regulatory
expenses,  increased by 17% to $863,000 in  the first nine months of fiscal 1996
from $735,000  in the  first  nine months  of fiscal  1995  and decreased  as  a
percentage  of sales to 25% in the 1996  period from 41% in the 1995 period. The
Company expects  research  and  development expenses  to  increase  in  absolute
dollars as the Company pursues development of new products.
 
    SELLING,   GENERAL  AND  ADMINISTRATIVE  EXPENSES.    Selling,  general  and
administrative expenses  increased by  20% to  $3.7 million  in the  first  nine
months of fiscal 1996 from $3.1 million in the first nine months of fiscal 1995.
This  increase was primarily  due to the growth  of a direct  sales force in the
United States and the  growth in marketing and  other personnel associated  with
the  Company's higher levels of operations. The Company expects selling, general
and administrative expenses to continue to  increase in absolute dollars as  the
Company's  level  of sales  and manufacturing  operations  increases and  as the
Company increases  its  finance  and administrative  expenditures  to  meet  its
obligations as a public reporting company.
 
    NET  LOSS.  The  Company had a net  loss of $5.4 million  in the nine months
ended March 31, 1996 compared to a net  loss of $2.9 million in the nine  months
ended  March 31, 1995. This net loss reflected a one-time expense related to the
write-off of  acquired research  and development  of $2.8  million, incurred  in
connection with the Company's acquisition of Adjacent Surgical, Inc. in February
1996. See "-- Overview."
 
    YEARS ENDED JUNE 30, 1995 AND 1994
 
    SALES.  Sales increased by 209% to $2.4 million in fiscal 1995 from $789,000
in  fiscal 1994. This increase was due primarily to an increase in unit sales of
the Spacemaker I platform to USSC for the hernia market.
 
    COST OF SALES.  Cost  of sales increased by 110%  to $1.3 million in  fiscal
1995  from $600,000 in fiscal 1994 and decreased as a percentage of sales to 52%
in the 1995  fiscal year  from 76%  in the 1994  fiscal year.  This increase  in
absolute dollars was primarily a result of the increased volume of products sold
and,  to a  lesser extent,  the costs  of additional  manufacturing capacity and
personnel necessary to support increased  sales volume. The increased volume  of
products  sold also resulted in the decrease in cost of sales as a percentage of
sales, as certain fixed overhead expenses  were leveraged across a higher  sales
base.
 
    RESEARCH  AND  DEVELOPMENT  EXPENSES.    Research  and  development expenses
increased by 97% to  $975,000 in fiscal  1995 from $496,000  in fiscal 1994  and
decreased  as a percentage of sales  to 40% in the 1995  fiscal year from 63% in
the  1994  fiscal  year.  The   increase  in  absolute  dollars  was   primarily
attributable  to the addition of research  and development personnel and related
use of supplies and
 
                                       23
<PAGE>
inventory, and increased levels of spending associated with developing  versions
of the Spacemaker platform primarily for the cosmetic and reconstructive surgery
market.  The decrease as a percentage of sales was the result of higher sales in
fiscal 1995.
 
    SELLING,  GENERAL  AND  ADMINISTRATIVE  EXPENSES.    Selling,  general   and
administrative  expenses increased  by 48% to  $4.3 million in  fiscal 1995 from
$2.9 million in  fiscal 1994. This  increase was primarily  attributable to  the
result of the establishment of a direct sales force in the United States, patent
and  related litigation  expenses, and additional  costs of  marketing and other
personnel necessary to support the higher level of operations.
 
    NET LOSS.   The  Company had  a  net loss  of $4.1  million in  fiscal  1995
compared to $3.1 million in fiscal 1994.
 
    YEARS ENDED JUNE 30, 1994 AND JUNE 30, 1993
 
    SALES.   Sales commenced in fiscal  year 1994 with commercial sales starting
in September 1993.  As a result,  the Company  had sales of  $789,000 in  fiscal
1994,  primarily attributable to sales of the  Spacemaker I platform to USSC for
hernia repair.
 
    COST OF  SALES.   Cost  of sales  in fiscal  year  1994 were  $600,000.  The
expenses  were principally attributable to  the commencement of manufacturing of
the Company's Spacemaker I platform.
 
    RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.   Research and  development expenses decreased  by
34%  to $496,000 in  fiscal 1994 from  $750,000 in fiscal  1993. The decrease in
absolute dollars  was  primarily  attributable  to  decreases  in  research  and
development personnel and expenses associated with introduction of the Company's
Spacemaker I platform in September 1993.
 
    SELLING,   GENERAL  AND  ADMINISTRATIVE  EXPENSES.    Selling,  general  and
administrative expenses increased to $2.9  million in fiscal 1994 from  $440,000
in  fiscal 1993, primarily as the result  of expenses associated with patent and
related litigation expenses and increased personnel and marketing costs.
 
    NET LOSS.   The  Company had  a  net loss  of $3.1  million in  fiscal  1994
compared to $1.2 million in fiscal 1993.
 
QUARTERLY RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
 
    The  following tables  set forth  certain unaudited  consolidated results of
operations for the  four quarterly periods  through March 31,  1996, as well  as
such  data expressed  as a  percentage of the  Company's sales  for the quarters
presented. This information has been derived from unaudited financial statements
that, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments (consisting only  of
normally  recurring adjustments)  necessary to  fairly present  this information
when read in conjunction  with the consolidated  financial statements and  notes
thereto  incorporated by  reference herein.  The results  of operations  for any
quarter are not  necessarily indicative of  the results to  be expected for  any
future period.
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                         THREE MONTHS ENDED
                                                            --------------------------------------------
                                                            JUNE 30,   SEPT. 30,  DEC. 31,    MARCH 31,
                                                              1995       1995       1995        1996
                                                            ---------  ---------  ---------  -----------
                                                                           (IN THOUSANDS)
<S>                                                         <C>        <C>        <C>        <C>
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS DATA:
Sales.....................................................  $     632  $     491  $   1,217   $   1,713
Cost of sales.............................................        354        334        586         734
                                                            ---------  ---------  ---------  -----------
  Gross profit............................................        278        157        631         979
Operating expenses:
  Research and development................................        240        202        278         384
  Sales and marketing.....................................        893        755        998         825
  General and administrative..............................        273        311        395         414
  Write-off of acquired in-process research and
   development............................................                                        2,791
                                                            ---------  ---------  ---------  -----------
    Total operating expenses..............................      1,406      1,268      1,671       4,414
                                                            ---------  ---------  ---------  -----------
Loss from operations......................................     (1,128)    (1,111)    (1,040)     (3,435)
Interest and other income (expense).......................         13         63         25          63
                                                            ---------  ---------  ---------  -----------
Net loss..................................................  $  (1,115) $  (1,048) $  (1,015)  $  (3,372)
                                                            ---------  ---------  ---------  -----------
                                                            ---------  ---------  ---------  -----------
</TABLE>
 
                                       24
<PAGE>
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                       THREE MONTHS ENDED
                                                       --------------------------------------------------
                                                        JUNE 30,     SEPT. 30,    DEC. 31,     MARCH 31,
                                                          1995         1995         1995         1996
                                                       -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
<S>                                                    <C>          <C>          <C>          <C>
AS A PERCENTAGE OF SALES:
Sales................................................      100.0%       100.0%       100.0%       100.0%
Cost of sales........................................       56.0         68.0         48.2         42.8
                                                       -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
  Gross profit.......................................       44.0         32.0         51.8         57.2
Operating expenses:
  Research and development...........................       38.0         41.1         22.8         22.4
  Sales and marketing................................      141.3        153.8         82.0         48.2
  General and administrative.........................       43.2         63.4         32.5         24.2
  Write-off of acquired in-process research and
   development.......................................                                             162.9
                                                       -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
    Total operating expenses.........................      222.5        258.3        137.3        257.7
                                                       -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
Loss from operations.................................     (178.5)      (226.3)       (85.5)      (200.5)
Interest and other income (expense)..................        2.1         12.8          2.1          3.7
                                                       -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
Net loss.............................................     (176.4)%     (213.5)%      (83.4)%     (196.8)%
                                                       -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
                                                       -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
</TABLE>
 
    Results of the Company's operations may fluctuate significantly from quarter
to  quarter  and will  depend  on numerous  factors,  including (i)  new product
introductions by  the Company  and  its competitors  and the  resulting  product
transitions,  (ii)  the  rate  of adoption  by  surgeons  of  balloon dissection
technology in markets targeted  by the Company, (iii)  the sales efforts of  the
Company's  distributors,  (iv)  the  mix of  sales  among  distributors  and the
Company's direct sales  force, (v)  timing of patent  and regulatory  approvals,
(vi)   timing  of  operating  expenditures,   (vii)  the  Company's  ability  to
manufacture its products efficiently, (viii) timing of research and  development
expenses,  including  marketing-related clinical  evaluation  expenditures, (ix)
intellectual  property  litigation  and  (x)  general  market  conditions.   The
Company's  sales in any  period are highly dependent  upon the marketing efforts
and success of USSC, which are not within the control of the Company. From  time
to  time, the Company  and USSC have  had disagreements regarding  the extent of
USSC's right  under  the  distribution  agreement  to  distribute  new  products
developed  by the Company after the date  of such agreement. The Company's sales
to USSC have fluctuated significantly in  the past, and the Company  anticipates
that  such sales could fluctuate  in the future. For  example, purchases by USSC
declined substantially  in  the  quarter  ended September  30,  1995,  and  then
increased  substantially  in the  subsequent  quarter ended  December  31, 1995.
Accordingly, any decline in purchases by USSC could result in a decline of sales
and adversely affect the Company's operating results. In addition, announcements
or expected announcements by the Company, its competitors or its distributors of
new products,  new  technologies or  pricing  changes could  cause  existing  or
potential  customers of the Company to defer purchases of the Company's existing
products and could alter the  mix of products sold  by the Company, which  could
have  a material adverse  effect on the  Company's business, financial condition
and results of  operations. There can  be no assurance  that future products  or
product  enhancements will be successfully introduced or that such introductions
will not adversely affect the demand for existing products. As a result of these
and other factors, the Company's quarterly operating results have fluctuated  in
the past, and the Company expects that such results may fluctuate in the future.
Due  to  such quarterly  fluctuations  in operating  results, quarter-to-quarter
comparisons of the  Company's operating results  are not necessarily  meaningful
and  should not  be relied  upon as indicators  of likely  future performance or
annual operating results. In addition,  the Company's limited operating  history
makes accurate prediction of future operating results difficult or impossible to
make.  There can  be no assurance  that in  the future the  Company will achieve
revenue growth or become profitable on a  quarterly or annual basis or that  its
growth will be consistent with predictions by securities analysts and investors.
 
                                       25
<PAGE>
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
 
    Since inception, the Company's cash expenditures have significantly exceeded
its  sales, resulting in  an accumulated deficit  of $13.8 million  at March 31,
1996. The Company has  funded its operations  since inception primarily  through
the  private placement of equity securities, as well as through interest income,
equipment financing and secured loan  arrangements. Through March 31, 1996,  the
Company  had raised  approximately $15.2 million  from the  private placement of
equity securities.
 
    As of March 31, 1996, the Company's principal sources of liquidity  included
$3.9  million in  cash and  cash equivalents,  an aggregate  of $2.8  million in
working capital, and a credit facility  of $1.5 million. The credit facility  is
collateralized  by substantially all  of the Company's  assets. Borrowings under
the line of credit bear interest at the bank's prime rate plus 1.0%. The Company
had borrowings of $500,000  under this agreement at  March 31, 1996. The  credit
facility  expires on March 31,  1997. In addition, the  Company has $300,000 and
$700,000 secured equipment loans, which bear  interest at the bank's prime  rate
plus  1.75%  and  1.25%,  respectively.  At March  31,  1996,  the  Company owed
approximately $215,000 and $286,000, respectively, under such equipment loans.
 
    Net cash used  in operating activities  was $3.8 million,  $3.2 million  and
$1.0 million during fiscal 1995, 1994 and 1993, respectively. This cash was used
primarily to fund increasing levels of the continued marketing of the Spacemaker
product   line   in  the   United  States   and  internationally,   general  and
administrative  expenses   to  support   increased  operations,   research   and
development  of the Company's products,  patent and related litigation expenses,
and development of a direct sales force.
 
    The Company expects to incur  substantial additional costs, including  costs
related  to  increased sales  and marketing  activities, increased  research and
development, expenditures in  connection with seeking  regulatory approvals  and
conducting  additional marketing-related clinical evaluations, capital equipment
and other  costs  associated  with  expansion  of  the  Company's  manufacturing
capabilities.  While the Company believes that  the proceeds from this offering,
together with existing funds and funds expected to be generated from operations,
will be  sufficient  to  meet  its projected  working  capital  and  other  cash
requirements  through calendar 1997, there can  be no assurance that the Company
will not require additional  financing within this time  frame. The Company  may
seek additional equity or debt financing to address its working capital needs or
to  provide funding for capital expenditures. However, there can be no assurance
that events  in the  future will  not  require the  Company to  seek  additional
capital  sooner or, if so required, that such capital will be available on terms
acceptable to the Company.
 
INCOME TAXES
 
    The Company has not generated any net  income to date and therefore has  not
paid  any federal  income taxes  since its  inception. The  Company accounts for
income taxes under  Statement of  Financial Accounting Standards  No. 109  ("FAS
109").  Realization of deferred  tax assets is dependent  on future earnings, if
any, the  timing  and amount  of  which are  uncertain.  Accordingly,  valuation
allowances,  in amounts equal to the net deferred tax assets as of June 30, 1995
and 1994 and  March 31, 1996  have been  established in each  period to  reflect
these uncertainties.
 
    At  March 31,  1996, the  Company had federal  and state  net operating loss
carryforwards of $8.4 million and  $3.7 million, respectively, that will  expire
at various dates beginning in 1998 through 2010, if not utilized. Utilization of
net  operating loss and tax credit carryforwards may be subject to a substantial
annual limitation  due  to the  ownership  change limitations  provided  by  the
Internal  Revenue Code  of 1986, as  amended, and similar  state provisions. The
annual limitation may  result in the  expiration of net  operating loss and  tax
credit carryforwards before full utilization.
 
                                       26
<PAGE>
RECENT PRONOUNCEMENTS
 
    In March 1995, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Statement No.
121 ACCOUNTING FOR THE IMPAIRMENT OF LONG-LIVED ASSETS AND FOR LONG-LIVED ASSETS
TO  BE  DISPOSED OF  (SFAS No.  121) which  requires the  Company to  review for
impairment long-lived  assets  and intangibles  whenever  events or  changes  in
circumstances  indicate  that  the  carrying  amount  of  an  asset  may  not be
recoverable. In certain situations, an impairment loss would be recognized. SFAS
121 will become effective  for the Company's 1997  fiscal year. The Company  has
studied  the implications of the statement, and based on its initial evaluation,
does not  expect  it  to have  a  material  impact on  the  Company's  financial
condition or results of operations.
 
    In  October 1995, the Financial  Accounting Standards Board issued Statement
No.  123  ACCOUNTING  FOR  STOCK-BASED   COMPENSATION  (SFAS  No.  123),   which
establishes a fair value based method of accounting for stock-based compensation
plans  and requires additional disclosures for those companies that elect not to
adopt the new method of accounting. While the Company studies the impact of  the
pronouncement,  it continues to  account for employees'  stock options under APB
Opinion No. 25, ACCOUNTING FOR STOCK ISSUED  TO EMPLOYEES. SFAS No. 123 will  be
effective for the Company's 1997 fiscal year.
 
                                       27
<PAGE>
                                    BUSINESS
 
OVERVIEW
 
    General  Surgical  Innovations,  Inc.  ("GSI"  or  the  "Company") develops,
manufactures and sells balloon dissection systems for minimally invasive surgery
("MIS").  Each  of  GSI's  proprietary  Spacemaker  balloon  dissection  systems
consists  of an access and deployment platform and a balloon dissector. By using
the Company's  products, surgeons  can access  a surgical  site in  a  minimally
invasive  manner and can rapidly and  relatively atraumatically create a working
space at  the  target surgical  site  where  no space  previously  existed.  The
Company's  balloon dissection systems  currently are offered  in four access and
deployment platforms, along with  14 different balloon  shapes and sizes,  which
are  specifically designed for various  surgical techniques, procedure types and
market segments. The Company  commenced commercial sales  of its first  product,
the  Spacemaker I for hernia repair, in September 1993 and to date almost all of
the Company's  revenues  have been  derived  from  sales of  products  for  this
procedure,  primarily pursuant  to a  distribution agreement  with United States
Surgical Corporation  ("USSC").  The Company  currently  sells products  in  the
United States and certain other countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany
and  France,  for  selected applications,  including  hernia  repair, subfascial
endoscopic   perforator   surgery   ("SEPS")   and   breast   augmentation   and
reconstruction.  Over  the next  18 months,  the Company  anticipates completing
marketing-related clinical evaluations of and launching products for several new
applications, including treatment of stress urinary incontinence, saphenous vein
harvesting and anterior spinal fusion.
 
INDUSTRY BACKGROUND
 
    Open  surgery  is  an  invasive  procedure  that  generally  requires  large
incisions  and significant tissue  manipulation in order  to provide the surgeon
with direct access to the intended surgical site. Much of the trauma suffered in
connection with open surgery is a result of gaining access to the surgical  site
and  is not caused by the surgical repair itself. For example, the surgeon often
must make large incisions through layers  of muscle and tissue, which may  cause
muscle  or  nerve damage,  bleeding, scarring  and  other complications  such as
infection, temporary or permanent debilitation and pain. As a result, many  open
surgical  procedures require extended operating times, expose the patient to the
risks of  general anesthesia  and involve  lengthy hospitalization  and  patient
recovery  times. In addition, because of the severe trauma often associated with
open surgical procedures, a significant  population of patients, which  includes
the  elderly and  weak, are  not considered  good candidates  for these surgical
procedures, and are thus deprived of treatment.
 
    In order to reduce the complications associated with open surgery,  surgical
techniques  referred to  as MIS have  been developed  recently. These techniques
allow surgeons to access the surgical  site through the body's natural  openings
(E.G.  mouth, urethra  or rectum)  or by making  small incisions  to access body
cavities such as the abdominal cavity (the "peritoneum"). The performance of MIS
generally involves five basic steps. First, a small incision (approximately  1-2
cm)  is made for insertion of  each trocar, a valved tube  with a blunt or sharp
insertion device. Next, one or more trocars  are inserted to gain access to  the
surgical  site and  provide a  port through  which a  surgeon can  pass surgical
instruments. Third,  the surgeon  creates a  working space  through the  use  of
dissection  tools  or  by  insufflating  a  natural  body  cavity  (such  as the
peritoneum). Fourth,  the surgeon  utilizes a  device such  as an  endoscope  or
laparoscope  to  visualize the  surgical  field. Finally,  the  surgeon utilizes
specialized MIS instruments to perform the surgical procedure.
 
    The benefits of MIS  as compared to open  surgery generally include  reduced
patient  trauma (including muscle, nerve and other tissue damage), reduced blood
loss, reduced  post-operative infection,  reduced scarring  at the  site of  the
incision  (which in  turn reduces reintervention  requirements), shorter patient
recovery time,  shorter  patient  recovery  time,  reduced  procedure  time  and
ultimately lower medical costs.
 
    As  a result of these benefits, MIS  has been increasingly used for surgical
procedures.  In  particular,   surgical  techniques   for  gallbladder   removal
("cholecystectomy")  have experienced high conversion rates from open surgery to
minimally  invasive  laparoscopic  surgery.   By  1995,  approximately  93%   of
 
                                       28
<PAGE>
the  estimated  857,000 cholecystectomies  performed in  the United  States were
performed laparoscopically compared to none  in 1988. A number of  retrospective
studies   have   reported   that   laparoscopic   cholecystectomy   causes  less
postoperative pain, involves shorter periods of post-procedure  hospitalization,
and  allows  a more  rapid return  to  daily activities  than the  open surgical
procedure.
 
    Despite the  documented benefits  of  MIS, its  adoption  to date  has  been
limited  to  a select  number  of surgical  procedures,  and, in  the aggregate,
represented only an estimated  15% of all surgical  procedures performed in  the
United  States  in 1995.  The most  widely  adopted MIS  procedure, laparoscopic
cholecystectomy, has been successfully adopted largely because of the  proximity
of the target surgical site to the peritoneum, the only natural body cavity that
provides  a working  space when  insufflated. Application  of MIS  techniques to
other surgical procedures and  the ability to exploit  the clinical benefits  of
MIS  have been  limited by the  lack of a  natural body cavity  proximate to the
surgical site and  the inability  of the  surgeon to  easily and  atraumatically
access  the surgical site or establish a surgical working space where no natural
body cavity exists. MIS conducted outside of a natural body cavity requires  the
surgeon  to use blunt  dissection instruments to tunnel  through tissue to reach
the target surgical site, creating a  relatively bloody working space with  poor
visualization.
 
    As  a result  of these  limitations, many  common types  of surgical repairs
cannot be effectively performed using blunt dissection MIS techniques, including
hernia repairs, and procedures performed on organs such as the bladder,  kidney,
spine,  aorta or other  sites that do  not lie within  the abdominal cavity. For
example, there are currently no effective  MIS techniques for many common  types
of  vascular  surgery such  as saphenous  vein harvesting  and the  treatment of
venous stasis ulcers. These surgical procedures are performed on the leg,  where
the  target surgical site is not easily accessible through natural body openings
or natural body cavities.  For other procedures,  although MIS techniques  exist
for  the performance of the repair itself, gaining access to the target surgical
site is invasive  thereby reducing  many of the  clinical benefits  of MIS.  For
example,  currently  utilized  MIS  for  spinal  fusion  requires  making  small
incisions at  the midline  of the  patient's abdomen,  entering the  peritoneum,
retracting  bowel  and  other  organs  to one  side,  exiting  the  back  of the
peritoneum and continuing down to the front of the spine.
 
    The Company believes that a significant opportunity exists for  technologies
and surgical instruments that can effectively address the limitations of MIS and
facilitate the adoption of MIS for a wider range of surgical procedures.
 
GSI SOLUTION
 
    GSI's  proprietary Spacemaker balloon dissection  systems allow a surgeon to
rapidly and  relatively  atraumatically  create  a working  space  at  a  target
surgical  site where no space previously existed. By creating a working space at
the target  surgical site,  the  Company's technology  eliminates the  need  for
surgeons  to make  large incisions  or to cut  through muscle,  nerve and tissue
layers, thereby  eliminating  the  trauma resulting  from  such  incisions.  GSI
believes  that its  proprietary line  of balloon  dissection products eliminates
many of the limitations of blunt  dissection MIS and enables the application  of
MIS technology to a broad range of additional surgical procedures.
 
    The  Company's balloon dissection systems create a predictable working space
for a surgical procedure  by separating natural tissue  layers in the body.  The
body  has a  large number of  naturally occuring tissue  layers, including skin,
muscle and fat. The  Company's balloon dissection systems  allow the surgeon  to
exploit  this physiology by inflating the balloon to separate the natural tissue
planes that exist between these layers, thereby creating a working space at  the
surgical  site. By utilizing any  one of a range  of the Company's balloons with
pre-specified deployment characteristics, the surgeon is able to accurately  and
predictably  determine the  size, shape  and proximity  of the  surgical working
space created relative to the target surgical site.
 
    The Company believes that its  Spacemaker products can be deployed  anywhere
in  the body  where a natural  tissue plane  exists. For example,  by creating a
working space in the pre-peritoneal area (the space in front of the peritoneum),
the  Company's   technology  enables   the  use   of  MIS   for  hernia   repair
 
                                       29
<PAGE>
and  treatment of stress urinary incontinence.  Similarly, by creating a working
space in  the  retroperitoneal  area  (the space  behind  the  peritoneum),  the
Company's technology enables the use of MIS for anterior spinal fusion, vascular
surgery  and other pathologies accessible in this area. In addition, the ability
of the  Company's  line of  Spacemaker  products  to create  working  spaces  at
different  tissue  levels (including  subcutaneous, subfascial,  submuscular and
subglandular) enables the use of MIS for breast augmentation and reconstruction,
tissue flap harvesting for reconstruction, saphenous vein harvesting, subfascial
endoscopic perforator surgery, long-bone plating and a variety of other  medical
procedures.
 
    The Company believes that the principal advantages of its Spacemaker balloon
dissection products include:
 
    PREDICTABLE  WORKING  SPACE.    The  Company's  balloon  dissection products
incorporate pre-shaped, nonelastomeric balloons made of polyurethane, which  are
tailored for a specific procedure and which, when inflated, create a predictable
and  consistent working space  of a predetermined  size, shape and  volume. As a
result, dissection outcome  or creation of  the working space  is not  generally
dependent on surgeon technique.
 
    RAPID  TISSUE DISSECTION AND  REDUCED PROCEDURE TIME.   The Company believes
that the  surgeon can  utilize the  Company's products  to create  the  surgical
working space and access the target pathology, typically in a matter of minutes,
thereby  reducing  total  procedure  time,  reducing  trauma  from  the surgical
procedure itself and reducing overall procedure costs.
 
    COMPATIBLE WITH  EXISTING MIS  TECHNIQUES AND  INSTRUMENTS.   The  Company's
products  provide  direct, minimally  invasive access  to  the site  of surgical
repair. Once the  surgeon has created  the working space  and can visualize  the
surgical site, he or she can generally use conventional MIS tools and techniques
with which he or she is already familiar.
 
    EASE  OF USE.  The Spacemaker balloon  dissection systems are designed to be
easy for the surgeon to  use, thereby minimizing surgeon training  requirements.
The  deployment apparatus, including the guide rod, blunt tip and balloon cover,
controls the  placement  and positioning  of  the balloon  with  minimal  tissue
trauma,  while the unique shape and size of the balloon minimizes the likelihood
of any additional manual dissection.
 
    CLINICAL AND COST BENEFITS FOR THE PATIENT, SURGEON AND PAYOR.  The  Company
believes  that  its balloon  dissection  products offer  both  clinical benefits
(including reduced tissue trauma  and limited need  for general anesthesia)  and
cost  benefits  (including lower  procedure  costs, reduced  procedure  time and
shorter hospital stays), as well as  faster recovery times, as compared to  open
surgery and alternative MIS procedures.
 
COMPANY STRATEGY
 
    The  Company's  objective  is  to become  the  leading  provider  of balloon
dissection systems and specialty surgical instruments for MIS. The key  elements
of the Company's strategy are as follows:
 
    INCREASE  MARKET ACCEPTANCE OF  BALLOON DISSECTION TECHNIQUES.   The Company
intends to increase market acceptance  for its Spacemaker products primarily  by
developing and maintaining relationships worldwide with leading general surgeons
and  specialists  in the  surgical  fields of  obstetrics,  gynecology, urology,
cosmetic and reconstructive  surgery, orthopedic surgery  and vascular  surgery.
The  Company intends to support these  efforts through surgeon training programs
designed to increase surgeon familiarity with the advantages and applications of
the Company's products. In addition, the Company is conducting marketing-related
clinical evaluations to increase exposure of surgeons to the Company's  products
and  to demonstrate the effectiveness of MIS in a broad range of procedures when
used with  the  Company's Spacemaker  balloon  dissection systems.  The  Company
intends  to use  data collected  from marketing-related  clinical evaluations to
demonstrate the  anticipated  clinical  and cost  advantages  of  the  Company's
products  to patients, surgeons, hospital  administrators and third-party health
care payors.
 
                                       30
<PAGE>
   
    CAPITALIZE ON  EXISTING  PROPRIETARY  POSITION.    GSI  has  established  an
extensive  patent portfolio, and plans to capitalize on its proprietary position
to establish  and  maintain a  leadership  position in  the  balloon  dissection
market.  Currently, GSI has 14 issued  United States patents, two issued foreign
patents and numerous  additional United States  and foreign patent  applications
covering GSI's Spacemaker technology, including tissue dissection with balloons.
In  May 1996, the Company was issued a United States patent that contains claims
regarding use of balloons to  dissect tissue planes during general,  endoscopic,
laparoscopic  or cosmetic and reconstructive  surgery. The Company believes that
the scope of these  claims could provide a  long-term competitive advantage  for
many of the Company's balloon dissection products.
    
 
    DEVELOP  AND RAPIDLY INTRODUCE NEW BALLOON  DISSECTOR PRODUCTS.  The Company
intends to develop and rapidly introduce additional balloon dissection  products
and  enhancements to its products that fall within the Company's existing 510(k)
clearances.  GSI's  Spacemaker  balloon  dissection  systems  (except  for   the
Spacemaker  World system)  have received FDA  510(k) clearance  for tissue plane
dissection   during   general,   endoscopic,   laproscopic   or   cosmetic   and
reconstructive  surgery,  using  a  broad range  of  balloon  sizes  and shapes.
Accordingly, the Company believes it is well positioned to offer a portfolio  of
products  for  additional  surgical  procedures  without  significant additional
United States  regulatory  pre-market  clearance  compliance  requirements.  The
Company  is developing balloon  dissectors for a number  of procedures for which
MIS is  currently  suboptimal  or unavailable,  including  treatment  of  stress
urinary  incontinence,  saphenous vein  harvesting,  anterior spinal  fusion and
long-bone plating for certain fractures.
 
    DEVELOP NEW  SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS  FOR MIS.    As part  of its  MIS  product
strategy,  the Company seeks to develop surgical instruments tailored for use in
the working spaces created by the Company's balloon dissection systems. To date,
the Company has developed several  instruments to facilitate the application  of
MIS  to  target surgical  procedures, such  as its  KnotMaker product,  which is
designed to assist the  surgeon in suturing and  knot tying applications  during
stress  urinary incontinence surgery  and certain other  procedures. The Company
will continue to  develop specialized surgical  instruments that facilitate  the
broader adoption of MIS and balloon dissection products for surgical procedures.
 
    MARKET   PRODUCTS  THROUGH  COLLABORATIVE  RELATIONSHIPS  AND  DIRECT  SALES
FORCE.  The Company intends to build relationships with medical device companies
both in  the United  States and  internationally that  can provide  the  Company
access  to  an  established  distribution network  in  GSI's  targeted specialty
surgical markets. By  pursuing a  strategy of corporate  partnering to  leverage
established  medical device distribution networks,  the Company believes that it
will  be  able  to  capitalize  on  the  existing  surgeon  training   programs,
complementary  products and  established surgeon relationships  of its corporate
partners. For example, the Company  currently has a distribution agreement  with
USSC,  a  large supplier  of surgical  instruments for  laparoscopic procedures,
under which USSC  purchases hernia repair  products from the  Company and  sells
them  individually or  in combination  with its  own products.  In addition, the
Company intends to expand  its direct sales force  in selected markets where  it
believes such an approach will enhance its competitive position.
 
BALLOON DISSECTION SYSTEMS
 
    GSI's proprietary Spacemaker balloon dissection systems consist of an access
and  deployment platform and  a balloon dissector.  During a surgical procedure,
the balloon  dissection system  is inserted  between the  desired tissue  layers
through  a puncture-like  opening with the  balloon in an  uninflated state. The
balloon is then filled with air or  saline, which causes the balloon to  dissect
the  tissue planes  naturally. After completing  the dissection,  the balloon is
deflated, the balloon dissection system is removed from the body, and the  newly
dissected  space is insufflated with gas to create a surgical working space. The
surgeon can then utilize MIS instruments to access the surgical site and perform
the surgical repair in  this new working space.  By using the Company's  balloon
dissection  systems, the surgeon  can avoid the  large incisions and significant
tissue manipulation required for open surgery.
 
    The   Company's   balloon   dissectors   incorporate   several   proprietary
technologies  to  increase the  reliability, effectiveness  and  ease of  use in
creating working spaces during MIS. Each balloon is
 
                                       31
<PAGE>
composed of  strong and  reliable nonelastomeric  polyurethane material  and  is
welded using a proprietary technique that allows the balloon to be inflated to a
predetermined  size and predictable shape with  minimal risk of rupture. Each of
the Company's balloons is designed to  be deployed in a predictable manner  that
maximizes  effectiveness and accuracy in creating the surgical working space and
minimizes unnecessary  tissue trauma  because of  the specific  and  predictable
manner  in which  the balloon unfurls.  The Company has  designed its dissection
balloons in  a  variety of  shapes  and sizes  that  are tailored  for  specific
procedures.  For example, the  Company's "Manta Ray"  shaped balloon is designed
for use  in  hernia repair  to  maximize working  space  and visibility  of  the
surgical  site while minimizing the disruption  of other anatomy at the surgical
site.
 
    The Company currently offers its balloon dissection systems in four distinct
access and deployment platforms,  the Spacemaker I  platform, the Spacemaker  II
platform,  the Spacemaker Resposable platform and the Spacemaker World platform,
along with 14 different balloon shapes and sizes, designed for various  surgical
techniques, procedures types and market segments. Each balloon dissection system
contains  three primary  components: a  guide rod  and blunt  tip to  access the
surgical site;  a single  use, disposable  balloon dissector  (which includes  a
tubing  mechanism and valve apparatus  to fill the balloon)  to create a working
space at the surgical site; and a balloon cover to protect the balloon dissector
and maintain the  balloon in  its unfurled  state prior  to inflation.  End-user
prices  for the Company's balloon dissection systems  range from $60 to $300 per
unit, depending upon the  type of product platform  purchased and the nature  of
the product packaging.
 
    The  key  attributes  of  the Company's  four  major  product  platforms are
described below:
 
    SPACEMAKER I PLATFORM.  The Spacemaker I platform is composed of a stainless
steel rod with a blunt tip which is  used both as the guide rod for the  balloon
and  as the  insertion rod  for a pre-loaded  integral trocar.  This enables the
surgeon to quickly  and accurately insert  the trocar into  the dissected  space
once  the  balloon is  removed. In  addition,  the balloon  cover used  with the
Spacemaker  I  platform  is  a  strong  sheath  that  maximizes  its   tunneling
capability.
 
    SPACEMAKER  II  PLATFORM.   The Spacemaker  II  platform is  a blunt-tipped,
polymeric, hollow tube that  is used both  as a guide rod  for insertion of  the
balloon  and as a scope cover for  protection of a laparoscope. This platform is
designed to allow endoscopic visualization  both during insertion and  inflation
of  the balloon. Visualization  enables the surgeon  to identify the appropriate
tissue plane  for dissection,  as  well as  identify anatomical  features  while
accessing  the surgical  site. The Spacemaker  II platform  includes an integral
polyurethane balloon cover, which releases  automatically upon inflation of  the
balloon thus simplifying the procedure for the surgeon.
 
    SPACEMAKER RESPOSABLE PLATFORM.  The Spacemaker Resposable platform consists
of  a combined blunt-tipped polymeric guide  rod and handle, used for insertion,
which can  be resterilized  and reused  for multiple  procedures. The  one-piece
reusable  handle  and guide  rod is  designed  to reduce  the cost  per surgical
procedure. The platform also includes a balloon cartridge, composed of a  hollow
tube upon which the balloon is loaded and an integral cover over the balloon and
tubing to protect them during insertion. This enables the surgeon to easily load
cartridges onto the guide rod and handle prior to insertion.
 
    SPACEMAKER  WORLD PLATFORM.  The Spacemaker  World platform is a similar but
simplified version of the Spacemaker II platform design. As with the  Spacemaker
II  platform, the Spacemaker World platform  allows for visualization during the
surgical procedure, but is composed of fewer component parts and is more limited
in its visualization capability. The Spacemaker World platform has been designed
for certain international markets with lower price/performance requirements. The
Company does not currently intend to  sell the Spacemaker World platform  system
in the United States.
 
APPLICATIONS OF BALLOON DISSECTION TECHNOLOGIES
 
    The  Company's initial  market focus was  the application  of its Spacemaker
balloon dissection technology for hernia repair. More recently, the Company  has
completed marketing-related clinical
 
                                       32
<PAGE>
evaluations  of, and has introduced products or is introducing products for SEPS
and breast augmentation and reconstruction procedures. The Company is  currently
conducting  additional  marketing-related  clinical  evaluations  for additional
surgical applications, including urological and gynecological applications (E.G.
stress urinary incontinence), other  vascular applications (E.G. saphenous  vein
harvesting   and   retroperitoneal   aortic   reconstruction)   and   orthopedic
applications (E.G.  anterior  spinal  fusion). The  Company  believes  that  its
current  FDA clearances provide coverage for many surgical applications that the
Company may pursue. The Company has  commenced commercial sales of its  products
in  the United States and certain other countries, including the United Kingdom,
Germany and France, for selected applications including hernia repair, SEPS  and
breast   augmentation  and   reconstruction.  The   Company  also   is  pursuing
marketing-related clinical  evaluations  for selected  additional  applications,
including   the  treatment  of  stress   urinary  incontinence,  saphenous  vein
harvesting and a variety of  retroperitoneal procedures such as anterior  spinal
fusion. To date, the Company has received 510(k) clearances from the FDA for the
use  of its  Spacemaker balloon dissection  technology to  perform dissection of
tissue  planes  during  general,   endoscopic,  laparoscopic  or  cosmetic   and
reconstructive  surgery  using  a  broad  range  of  balloon  sizes  and shapes.
Following FDA clearance of one of  the Company's products, the Company  performs
marketing-related  clinical  evaluations  to optimize  the  application  of such
product to targeted surgical procedures.
 
                                       33
<PAGE>
    The following table  identifies several  markets currently  targeted by  the
Company,  the surgical  procedures addressed,  the Company's  balloon dissection
products available for these  procedures and the estimated  number of total  MIS
and open surgical procedures performed in 1995.
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
   TARGETED MARKET                                                   PRODUCT         ESTIMATED NUMBER OF
                            PROCEDURE           PRODUCT GROUP        LAUNCH           TOTAL PROCEDURES
                                                                                        PERFORMED (2)
                                                                                    USA        INTERNATIONAL
<S>                    <C>                  <C>                    <C>          <C>           <C>
 
General Surgery        Extraperitoneal      Spacemaker I Hernia         1993         600,000         750,000
                       hernia repair
                                            Spacemaker II Hernia        1995
                                            Spacemaker World            1996
                                            Hernia
 
Vascular               Subfascial           Spacemaker I SEPS           1996             Not        100,000  (3)
                       endoscopic                                                  Available
                       perforator surgery                                                (3)
                       (SEPS)
                       Saphenous vein       Spacemaker I SVH            1997  (1)      300,000       300,000
                       harvesting (SVH)
                       Retroperitoneal      Spacemaker I Aorta          1996  (1)      100,000             Not
                       aortic                                                                   Available (4)
                       reconstruction;
                       abdominal aortic
                       aneurysms, aortic
                       bypass
 
Cosmetic and           Breast augmentation  Spacemaker Resposable       1996          90,000         95,000
Reconstructive         and reconstruction   BAAR                        1995
                       (BAAR)               Spacemaker I BAAR
                       Tissue flap          Spacemaker I FH             1997  (1)       24,000        24,000
                       harvesting
 
Urology and            Stress urinary       Spacemaker II SUI           1996  (1)      110,000       110,000
Obstetrics and         incontinence (SUI)
Gynecology
 
Orthopedic             Anterior spinal      Spacemaker I Spinal         1997  (1)      200,000       200,000
                       fusion
</TABLE>
 
(1)  Estimated launch date. There can be no assurance that such new product will
    be launched by such target launch date, if at all.
 
(2) "Procedures Performed"  figures are  1995 estimates  of total  MIS and  open
    surgical  procedures,  and  are  based  on  information  from  Medical  Data
    International, National Center of Health Care Statistics, Society of Plastic
    and Reconstructive Surgeons  and Market Intelligence  Research Co. and  from
    Surgical  Instruments and  MIS Equipment:  Markets, Companies  and Products,
    November 1994  by  M.D.I.S.  Publications  Limited.  See  "Risk  Factors  --
    Uncertainty of Market Acceptance; No Assurance of Clinical Advantage."
 
(3)  The Spacemaker  I SEPS balloon  dissection systems target  the treatment of
    venous stasis ulceration, which currently affects approximately 2.5  million
    people  in the United States. (Source:  "Chronic Venous Insufficiency of the
    Lower  Limbs  and  its   Socio-Economic  Significance.")  According  to   "A
    Comparison  of  the Cost  Effectiveness in  Venous Ulcer  Management Between
    Current Methods in the Community and Treatment with a Multilayer Compression
    Bandage System," more than 100,000 patients received treatment in the United
    Kingdom alone.
 
(4) The Company believes that the estimated number of total procedures performed
    internationally is at least as large  as the number performed in the  United
    States.
 
    HERNIA REPAIR
 
    A  hernia, a condition that commonly occurs in the groin, is a protrusion of
normal abdominal contents through a muscle defect, usually in the tissue  layers
overlying  the  abdomen. The  peritoneum and/or  bowel  often project  into this
defect, causing  pain and  potential major  complications. Hernias  affect  over
600,000  people  in  the  United States  and  approximately  1.4  million people
worldwide each year.
 
                                       34
<PAGE>
    The  open surgical  procedure for  hernia repair  is a  herniorrhaphy, which
involves making a 10 to 15 cm open incision in the groin over the muscle  defect
to  be repaired. As in most  invasive surgical procedures, recovery periods tend
to be long, typically extending between three  and six weeks. Over the last  few
years,  in an effort  to reduce post-operative pain  and recovery times, several
laparoscopic techniques have  been developed  to repair  hernias. Despite  these
advances,  MIS has not been optimized for hernia repair. For example, in certain
MIS hernia  repair procedures,  a surgeon  must first  make an  incision in  the
abdominal  wall to gain access to the  peritoneum. The surgeon then must make an
additional incision or window in the peritoneal wall that enables the surgeon to
exit the peritoneum  to reach  the surgical site  and create  the working  space
required  to  conduct  the  surgical  repair.  While  these  newer  laparoscopic
techniques may reduce pain and recovery  time, they retain significant risks  of
morbidity  and post-procedural complications because they require entry into the
peritoneum and the use of general anesthesia.
 
    The  Company   believes  that   its   balloon  dissection   technology   can
significantly  improve the  outcomes of  laparoscopic hernia  repair procedures.
Utilizing the Company's  Spacemaker products,  the surgeon  deploys the  balloon
through  the umbilicus to create  a large and relatively  bloodless space at the
site of the hernia. As a result, the surgeon is able to more rapidly and  easily
access  the target  surgical site and  complete the hernia  repair. In addition,
because the surgeon never enters the peritoneum, this procedure reduces the risk
of  organ  damage,  adhesion  formation   and  morbidity,  and  eliminates   the
requirement  for general  anesthesia. In  a study  presented in  March 1996, MIS
hernia repair procedures utilizing the Company's balloon dissectors resulted  in
lower  cost, fewer  complications and faster  recovery time as  compared to open
surgical hernia repair procedures.
 
    The Company believes  that its  Spacemaker products provide  a platform  for
increasing  the conversion of hernia repair procedures from open to laparoscopic
procedures. According to Medical  Data International, Inc., laparoscopic  hernia
repair  procedures  represented approximately  160,000  or 25%  of  total hernia
repair procedures in 1995. The Company believes that approximately half of these
laparoscopic hernia repair procedures are now performed using balloon dissection
technology.
 
    The  Company  commenced  commercial  sales  of  its  hernia  repair  balloon
dissection  products in the United States in late 1993 and in Europe in 1994 and
currently sells three versions: the Spacemaker I platform, which was  introduced
in  September 1993, the Spacemaker II  platform, which was introduced in October
1995, and the Spacemaker World platform, which was introduced in March 1996. The
Company sells  these products  both in  the United  States and  certain  foreign
markets,  including France, Germany and the United Kingdom, through its partner,
USSC. The Company  also sells these  products in the  United States through  its
direct   sales  force  and  within  certain  foreign  markets  through  selected
distributors.
 
    STRESS URINARY INCONTINENCE SURGERY
 
    Stress urinary incontinence ("SUI") is the uncontrollable loss of urine  due
to  a displacement of the bladder.  According to Frost & Sullivan, approximately
1.7 million women 30  years or older suffer  from SUI on a  daily basis and  are
thus candidates for interventional treatment.
 
    Depending  on the severity of incontinence,  there are a number of treatment
options for SUI, including collagen injections, drugs, biofeedback exercises and
absorbent pads. Over the last few  decades, however, an open surgical  procedure
involving  suture suspension of the bladderneck has been the standard method for
correcting severe  SUI.  This method  is  invasive and  can  create  significant
complications for the patient, including enterocele (a hernia within the vaginal
wall)  and genital prolapse (a descending of the uterus due to a weakness of the
pelvic floor). Furthermore, after surgery patients  may require up to six  weeks
or more to resume their preoperative lifestyle. Because of the risk, expense and
complexity of suture suspension, this surgical procedure is often performed only
in  conjunction with other open abdominal  procedures such as hysterectomy. As a
result, many women  who are  identified as  candidates for  surgical SUI  repair
never receive treatment.
 
                                       35
<PAGE>
    Several  MIS alternatives to  open surgical procedures  for the treatment of
SUI  have  recently  been  developed  to  suspend  the  bladderneck.  These  MIS
procedures  have been  increasingly accepted  as stand-alone  procedures and are
typically less expensive and less likely to cause adverse side effects. Although
long-term outcome studies are not available, early results indicate laparoscopic
outcomes are equivalent  to open  surgical procedures  in successfully  treating
incontinence.  Unfortunately, as in hernia  repair, these MIS procedures involve
accessing the  surgical  site  by  entering, traversing  and  then  exiting  the
peritoneal  cavity. While these procedures  offer improvements over open surgery
and afford  the benefits  of MIS,  they still  involve the  morbidity risks  and
difficulties associated with entering the peritoneum.
 
    Utilizing  the Company's balloon dissection  system, the surgeon can suspend
the bladderneck laparoscopically without entering the peritoneum. As with  GSI's
hernia  repair products,  GSI's Spacemaker  dissection products  can be deployed
through the umbilicus to provide direct  access to the bladder and  bladderneck.
The  surgeon can then use conventional  laparoscopic instruments to complete the
procedure. The Company  believes that  the entire  SUI repair  procedure can  be
performed in less than one hour on an outpatient basis.
 
    To  date, SUI  surgical procedures have  been performed  using the Company's
hernia repair  balloon. The  Company is  currently conducting  marketing-related
clinical  evaluations  on  a new  balloon  shape designed  specifically  for SUI
repair, which the Company believes will allow a surgeon to optimize the  working
space  in  which to  perform the  SUI  repair procedure.  GSI intends  to launch
commercially the dissector balloon for SUI repair in late 1996 both domestically
and internationally.
 
    BREAST AUGMENTATION AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY
 
    In 1995,  approximately 90,000  women  worldwide had  breast  reconstructive
surgery  due to partial or  full mastectomies relating to  breast cancer, and an
additional  110,000  had  elective  (aesthetic)  breast  augmentation   surgery.
Traditional  surgical methods for such procedures require making a three to five
cm incision in the  skin, finding the  required tissue plane,  and then using  a
combination  of blunt  and sharp  dissection tools  to create  a pocket  for the
implant. The procedure can  cause substantial bleeding,  can sever both  sensory
nerves  and  perforating vessels  and can  leave  the patient  with substantial,
noticeable scars.
 
    In  contrast   to  traditional   breast  augmentation   and   reconstruction
procedures,  the  Company's Spacemaker  products  require only  small incisions,
create a relatively bloodless pocket, do not sever sensory nerves or perforating
vessels and minimize scarring  and loss of movement  or sensation. In  addition,
because  the  Spacemaker product  allows the  surgeon  to introduce  the balloon
dissector from  a crease  in the  axilla (armpit),  from the  inframammary  fold
(below  the breast inside the mammary fold), in the periareolar (nipple) area or
in some  cases  from  the  umbilicus  (navel),  the  surgeon  can  minimize  the
appearance  of  any marks  or scars.  The Company  believes that  its Spacemaker
dissection products for breast augmentation and reconstruction procedures enable
the surgeon to create  uniform, symmetrical pockets in  less time and with  much
less bleeding than is possible with traditional blunt or sharp dissection tools.
The  Company  has also  developed a  sizer, an  instrument that  can be  used in
conjunction with  its balloon  dissection  products, to  enable the  surgeon  to
determine,  prior to  the placement  of the implant,  the fill  volume that will
optimize the appearance  of the  implant. The  Company believes  the sizer  will
reduce  the overall cost  for a procedure  by eliminating the  risk of having to
remove and destroy incorrectly sized  implants, which cost approximately $650  -
$1,000 per set.
 
    The  Company's  balloon  dissection  products  for  breast  augmentation and
reconstruction were  first  introduced  commercially in  the  United  States  in
January  1995. The  Company currently sells  the Spacemaker I  platforms and the
Spacemaker Resposable platforms for use in this indication. The Company plans to
file a 510(k) notification with the FDA for its sizer products in April 1996 and
plans to introduce these  products in the United  States through its own  direct
sales force upon receipt of such clearance. While the Company expects to receive
such clearance by the end of 1996, there can be no assurance as to the timing or
receipt of such clearance.
 
                                       36
<PAGE>
    OTHER COSMETIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY
 
    In  addition  to  the  market  opportunities  for  breast  augmentation  and
reconstruction, the Company has designed, developed and is clinically evaluating
applications of its balloon dissection technology  for a number of cosmetic  and
reconstructive  surgery  procedures,  including tissue  flap  harvesting (24,000
procedures worldwide),  face lifts  (53,000  procedures worldwide),  brow  lifts
(21,000   procedures  worldwide),   and  abdominolplasties   (28,000  procedures
worldwide). The  Company  believes that  its  balloon dissection  technology  is
well-suited  for such procedures.  For example, a  tissue flap harvest procedure
involves  isolation   and  detachment   of  a   discrete  tissue   segment   for
transplantation  to another  part of the  body, and  may include a  harvest of a
portion of  the  rectus muscle  (or  TRAM flap  harvest)  or a  harvest  of  the
latissimus  muscle (or  latissimus dorsi  flap harvest).  Tissue flap harvesting
procedures are  currently very  tedious, requiring  the severing  of  connecting
tissue  with scissors  or scalpel and  taking three  to four hours  or longer to
complete.
 
    The Company  believes a  surgeon  utilizing the  GSI balloon  dissector  can
complete  tissue flap harvesting in  less than half the time  and can do so more
accurately with less blood loss.  Studies involving the Spacemaker platform  for
tissue  flap harvest procedures have been  conducted at both Duke University and
at the Manhattan Eye, Ear, Nose  and Throat Institute. The initial results  were
presented  during the  American Society  of Plastic  and Reconstruction Surgeons
meeting in Montreal, Canada in October 1995, with both groups demonstrating  the
feasibility,  cost effectiveness and time  savings experienced during procedures
in which the Company's balloon dissection products were utilized for tissue flap
harvesting. The  Company  is  currently  conducting  marketing-related  clinical
evaluations  for  its tissue  flap  harvesting balloon  dissection  product, and
anticipates launching the product for commercial sale in 1997.
 
    SUBFASCIAL ENDOSCOPIC PERFORATOR SURGERY
 
    Chronic venous insufficiency, which results in insufficient blood flow  from
the  extremities, is a common and debilitating disease. A frequent manifestation
of venous insufficiency is venous stasis ulceration (chronic skin ulcers), which
currently affects approximately 2.5 million people in the United States.
 
    The Company  believes  that  current treatment  options  for  venous  stasis
ulceration and venous insuffiency are suboptimal. Compression stockings (elastic
stockings  that put pressure  on the leg  to force blood  flow), the most common
treatment, often temporarily  heal the ulcers  but do not  treat the  underlying
venous  incompetence. Compression  stockings as treatments  are also ineffective
because patients often do not wear the stockings, the associated healing process
is slow and the recurrence rate for the ulcers is high. Treating the incompetent
vein through  an open  surgical  procedure allows  treatment of  the  underlying
condition,  but requires an incision through  the ulcer wound, which is composed
of diseased tissue and is often incapable of healing. Alternatively, a minimally
invasive procedure  known as  SEPS has  recently been  introduced in  which  the
surgeon  accesses the incompetent vein  from a site remote  from the ulcer wound
using blunt dissection instruments. However, because access to the surgical site
using blunt  dissection  causes  bleeding and  significant  tissue  trauma,  the
procedure  is difficult and time consuming for the surgeon to perform because of
poor visualization.
 
    The Company's Spacemaker  balloon dissection products  allow the surgeon  to
perform  SEPS  to  ligate  incompetent  veins  endoscopically  in  a  relatively
atraumatic, bloodless manner. By utilizing the Company's Spacemaker  technology,
the  surgeon  is able  to deploy  an elongated  balloon down  the length  of the
patient's leg to create an operating space for access to one or more incompetent
veins.  Because  the  incisions  needed  for  this  procedure  are  very   small
(approximately  one cm)  and are  remote from  the area  of ulcerated  skin, the
Company believes that wounds will heal more rapidly and that there will be fewer
complications compared to open surgery and non-balloon assisted SEPS procedures.
In addition,  the  bloodless working  space  created by  the  Company's  balloon
provides  the  surgeon  with  improved  visualization  of  the  veins  requiring
ligation, making the procedure easier and faster for the surgeon.
 
                                       37
<PAGE>
    The Company launched its initial  product to treat venous stasis  ulceration
and  venous insufficiency in  January 1996. To date,  the Company's Spacemaker I
balloon dissection  products have  been  used to  treat  more than  60  patients
suffering from venous stasis ulcers or venous insufficiency in 20 centers across
the  United  States,  with results  indicating  successful  outcomes. Additional
outcome studies  are underway  that  are designed  to demonstrate  that  balloon
assisted  SEPS will produce faster healing  rates, fewer complications and lower
recurrence rates as compared to compression stockings or open surgical  ligation
or  non-balloon assisted SEPS  procedures. There can be  no assurance that these
studies will in fact demonstrate these benefits.
 
    SAPHENOUS VEIN HARVESTING
 
    In recent  years, advanced  coronary artery  disease has  been  increasingly
treated  by  coronary  artery  bypass  graft  (CABG)  procedures,  which involve
grafting a portion of a patient's vein, taken from a different part of the body,
around the  blocked artery.  More than  600,000 CABG  procedures were  performed
worldwide  in  1995.  Nearly  90% of  these  procedures  utilized  the patient's
saphenous vein as a bypass graft.
 
    Traditional saphenous vein harvesting procedures often require a  continuous
incision  from the ankle  to the upper  thigh of a  patient's leg. The saphenous
vein is then dissected  and removed, and  the wound is  sutured closed. A  study
involving  over 1,000  patients indicates that  the open  surgical procedure for
saphenous vein harvesting results in  wound healing impairment in  approximately
24%  of patients. The  length and invasiveness  of the leg  incision also causes
significant postoperative patient  pain and discomfort.  Surgeons indicate  that
after  the  CABG procedure,  patients more  frequently  complain about  the pain
caused by leg incisions than other aspects of the procedure.
 
    By utilizing the  Company's balloon dissection  technology in the  saphenous
vein harvest procedure, the surgeon can reduce the leg incision to three or four
one-centimeter  incisions,  and can  minimize damage  to  the muscles  and nerve
endings surrounding the saphenous vein. Early results from one market evaluation
of saphenous  vein harvest  procedures using  the Company's  balloon  dissection
products  involving five patients  at a single  center have indicated successful
outcomes from the  procedure including less  postoperative pain, faster  healing
and  less  scarring  than  with  traditional  open  procedures.  The  Company is
currently establishing marketing  evaluation sites  and an  outcome protocol  to
demonstrate  further that the application  of Spacemaker technology to saphenous
vein harvesting will  minimize pain,  reduce length of  hospital stay,  decrease
risk  of morbidity and improve  quality of life. There  can be no assurance that
these evaluations will in fact demonstrate these benefits.
 
    The Company currently is developing  surgical instruments to facilitate  the
saphenous  vein harvesting procedure,  including instruments to  ligate the side
branches and instruments to perform additional harvesting of the saphenous vein.
The Company  has  not  applied for  FDA  clearance  for any  of  these  surgical
instruments.
 
    AORTIC RECONSTRUCTION
 
    Disruptions  of blood  flow to  the aorta  can lead  to major cardiovascular
complications and death. One form of disruption results from a weakening in  the
aortic  wall that causes a bulge or aneurysm to form, commonly referred to as an
abdominal aortic aneurysm ("AAA"). Because of  the blood pressure in the  aorta,
an  AAA is particularly susceptible to  rupture, usually resulting in death. The
National Center  for Health  Care Statistics  estimates that  approximately  1.5
million  people in the United States  have AAA's, with approximately 190,000 new
patients diagnosed with AAA  each year and  approximately 45,000 AAA's  repaired
each  year.  A  second, more  gradual  disruption  of blood  flow  is  caused by
occlusive disease,  which results  in a  blockage of  the aorta.  Although  less
dramatic,  this form of  aortic disease also requires  a surgical solution, with
approximately 40,000 grafts being performed annually to bypass the blockage.
 
                                       38
<PAGE>
    Until recently, the only means of  repair for AAA and occlusive disease  was
open  surgery. Open surgery is invasive, requires substantial incisions and long
recovery times, and can lead to complications such as blood loss and  infection.
For   example,  the  conventional  treatment  for  aortic  reconstruction  is  a
complicated open procedure  requiring a  significant incision  in the  patient's
abdomen,  withdrawal of the patient's intestines  to provide access to the aorta
and cross-clamping of  the aorta to  stop blood flow.  This procedure  typically
lasts  two to four hours and is  performed under general anesthesia. As a result
of its invasiveness, open surgical aortic reconstruction has high mortality  and
complication rates.
 
    The  Company believes that its  Spacemaker balloon dissection technology may
be used as  a minimally  invasive laparoscopic  access device  or as  an aid  to
surgeons  in open procedures for creating rapid access to the aortic aneurysm or
occluded artery. The Company believes that its Spacemaker technology will  allow
treatment  that is rapid and  atraumatic and will allow  the surgeon to create a
relatively bloodless  working  space  to  access the  aorta.  The  Company  also
believes  that  its  balloon  dissection  products may  lower  the  cost  of the
procedure.  The  Company  is   currently  pursuing  marketing-related   clinical
evaluations  to optimize  the application of  its Spacemaker  technology for the
aortic reconstruction market.
 
    ORTHOPEDIC SPINE SURGERY
 
    The Company believes  that its products  can be used  in several  orthopedic
spinal  procedures to both reduce the costs of the procedure and enhance patient
benefits. Foremost among these procedures is spinal fusion, which was  performed
approximately  200,000  times in  the United  States in  1994. Spinal  fusion is
usually  performed  to  remove  a  ruptured  vertebral  disc  that  is   causing
significant  patient discomfort, and subsequently  to promote fusion between the
then exposed and adjacent  vertebrae. This fusion procedure  can be promoted  by
any  of  several prosthetic  systems, by  traditional bone  prostheses, or  by a
combination of the two.
 
    Most traditional open  spinal fusion  procedures have  approached the  spine
from   the  back.  Several  newer  procedures,  some  currently  under  clinical
investigation, approach the spine  through the abdomen,  which appears to  yield
better results. The open abdominal approach is highly invasive, however, and has
led  researchers  to  try  to  develop  a  minimally  invasive,  transperitoneal
laparoscopic approach.  This approach  still subjects  the patient  to the  same
risks associated with the open abdominal approach.
 
    The  Company's balloon dissection products have been used in several cadaver
studies in which an extraperitoneal laparoscopic approach to the spine has  been
successfully  performed.  In  this procedure,  the  balloon is  deployed  in the
retroperitoneal area under the rib cage and is inflated in order to dissect  the
peritoneum away from muscle layers in the back and side of the patient. By doing
so,  the surgeon can  create a large  working space to  access the spine without
entering the peritoneum. The Company believes  the spinal fusion procedure is  a
natural   extension  of  the  aortic   reconstruction  application  for  balloon
dissection technology because  the required dissected  space is essentially  the
same.  The  Company  intends to  conduct  additional  marketing-related clinical
evaluations  to  optimize  the  design  of  the  Company's  Spacemaker   balloon
dissection systems for the orthopedic spine surgery market.
 
ADDITIONAL PRODUCTS UNDER DEVELOPMENT
 
    As  part of its competitive strategy,  GSI continually seeks to leverage its
core  technology  to  develop  balloon  dissection  systems  for  new   surgical
procedures,  as well as to develop new surgical instruments for MIS. The Company
has  made  a  significant  investment  in  developing  its  proprietary  balloon
dissection  technology and believes  its research and  development commitment in
this area  is critical  to its  competitive position.  Research and  development
expenses  for fiscal 1995,  1994 and 1993  were approximately $975,000, $496,000
and $750,000, respectively, and  for the nine months  ended March 31, 1996  were
approximately $864,000. As of March 31, 1996, the Company had 14 persons engaged
in research and development activities.
 
                                       39
<PAGE>
    BALLOON  DISSECTION  PRODUCTS.    The  Company  is  currently  developing  a
Spacemaker III product platform, designed as a one-piece instrument in which the
balloon and guide rod are connected as  a single unit. The Company believes  the
one-piece  platform design will  be easier to use  than the two-piece Spacemaker
platforms, because of  the reduced  number of steps  a surgeon  must perform  in
order  to  deploy the  balloon and  dissect the  tissue at  the target  site. In
addition, the Company expects the Spacemaker  III platform to be less  expensive
to manufacture, resulting in reduced costs per procedure. The Company intends to
continue  to develop  additional balloon  shapes and sizes  that can  be used in
conjunction with each of its  Spacemaker product platforms. Additional  surgical
applications  currently being targeted by  the Company include long-bone plating
for fractures and seural nerve harvests for reconstructive surgery.
 
    SURGICAL AND  RELATED  INSTRUMENTS.   The  Company is  also  exploiting  its
expertise  in MIS to  develop a range  of instruments to  maximize the surgeon's
ability to  perform  MIS once  an  operative working  space  is created  by  the
Company's  balloon dissection products.  For example, the  Company has developed
the KnotMaker suturing  instrument, which is  designed to allow  the surgeon  to
maintain tension on the suture and deliver a pre-tied knot to the surgical site,
rather than requiring the surgeon to tie the knot remote from the surgical site.
The  Company received 510(k) clearance for  the KnotMaker suturing instrument in
October 1994, and is currently conducting marketing-related clinical evaluations
to optimize  the design  of the  product for  use in  multiple applications.  In
addition,  the Company is  developing a specialized trocar  with a balloon valve
which provides  a seal  to maintain  insufflation of  the surgical  space  while
allowing  the use of laparoscopic  and conventional non-laparoscopic instruments
during MIS.  For  example, this  specialized  trocar  would enable  the  use  of
conventional  arterial cross clamps, which  are particularly important in aortic
reconstruction.
 
    Product research and development will require substantial expenditures,  and
there  can be no  assurance that the  Company will be  successful in identifying
products  for  which  demand  exists,  in  developing  products  that  have  the
characteristics  necessary to treat target indications,  or that any new product
introduced will receive regulatory approval or be commercially successful.
 
MARKETING, SALES AND DISTRIBUTION
 
    The Company markets its products, both domestically and internationally,  to
general  surgeons,  urologists,  gynecologists,  vascular  surgeons,  orthopedic
surgeons and cosmetic and  reconstructive surgeons. Sales  in the United  States
and internationally in the hernia market are made primarily through an exclusive
relationship  with USSC and  through the Company's direct  sales force. Sales of
devices for  other  applications are  made  in  the United  States  through  the
Company's  direct sales force and  internationally through the Company's network
of distributors.
 
    MARKETING PROGRAMS.    The  Company's marketing  strategy  for  its  balloon
dissection  products is  designed to  target surgeons  who are  leaders in their
respective surgical  specialties, and  to promote  visibility of  the  Company's
products  and  awareness  of the  clinical  efficacy and  cost  effectiveness of
surgical techniques  that  employ the  Company's  products. For  direct  product
sales, the Company has targeted those surgical procedure markets that are highly
concentrated,  such as vascular surgery, plastic  surgery and spinal repair. For
more dispersed markets, and markets where surgeons require substantial  training
to  use  the Company's  products, the  Company  has partnered  or is  seeking to
partner with independent  distributors that  have well-established  distribution
networks  across  wide  geographic  areas  as  well  as  well-developed training
programs.
 
    The Company has  recently commenced  a program to  disseminate clinical  and
technical  information worldwide to  educate surgeons about  the benefits of the
Company's products and to encourage surgeons to perform procedures utilizing the
Company's products. In  support of this  program, the Company  has produced  and
distributed  to surgeons Spacemaker dissector procedure demonstration videos and
educational videos  for hernia  repair, bladder  neck suspension,  cosmetic  and
reconstructive  surgery  and  vascular  surgery. In  addition,  the  Company has
developed relationships with several leading  surgeons in each of the  Company's
targeted  major  surgical  specialty areas  who  provide input  on  clinical and
product development,  as well  as surgical  procedures that  are candidates  for
GSI's
 
                                       40
<PAGE>
products.  The Company is also pursuing  a public relations campaign to increase
patient awareness of the  benefits of MIS and  the improvements afforded by  the
use  of balloon dissectors in such surgical procedures. In addition, the Company
is actively  sponsoring  a  number  of  marketing-related  clinical  evaluations
designed  to optimize the product design and to demonstrate the utility and ease
of use of the Company's products.
 
    SALES IN THE UNITED  STATES.  GSI maintains  a direct sales organization  in
the  United States to  market its products to  general surgeons and specialists,
and to  support its  distributor's sales  efforts.  As of  March 31,  1996,  the
Company's  sales  force in  the  United States  consisted  of nine  persons. The
Company's sales  personnel  are  typically assigned  to  a  particular  surgical
market.  GSI  is  currently selling  Spacemaker  products in  the  hernia repair
market, the breast augmentation and reconstructive surgery market, and the  SEPS
market.  For  the  hernia surgery  market,  sales and  marketing  is principally
conducted through  a distribution  agreement  between the  Company and  USSC,  a
leading supplier of surgical instruments for laparoscopic procedures. Under this
agreement,  USSC has rights, co-exclusive with  the rights of GSI, to distribute
the Spacemaker I product for hernia repair  and, to the extent permitted by  the
Company's   initial  510(k)  clearance  for  the  Spacemaker  I  product,  other
applications. USSC's distribution rights are limited to only those products that
are or could be covered by the Company's initial 510(k) clearance. From time  to
time, the Company and USSC have had disagreements regarding the extent of USSC's
rights  under the distribution agreement to distribute new products developed by
the Company  after the  date of  such agreement.  USSC purchases  hernia  repair
products  from the  Company and sells  them individually or  in combination with
USSC products. The GSI products  sold by USSC carry the  GSI name and logo.  The
Company's  sales  to USSC  have fluctuated  significantly in  the past,  and the
Company anticipates that such sales could fluctuate in the future. For  example,
purchases  by USSC  declined substantially  in the  quarter ended  September 30,
1995, and then increased substantially in the subsequent quarter ended  December
31,  1995. As  a result, there  can be no  assurance that USSC  will continue to
purchase the Company's  products in amounts  equal to past  levels or that  USSC
will   purchase  the  minimum  quantities  required  under  the  agreement.  The
distribution agreement with  USSC expires  in March 1997,  and there  can be  no
assurance that such agreement will be renewed on the same or similar terms. USSC
could also elect to sell competitive products, rather than those of the Company,
which  could result in a decline of the Company's sales. A significant reduction
in orders from USSC or a failure to  renew the agreement with USSC could have  a
material  adverse  effect on  the  Company's business,  financial  condition and
results of  operations. Although  the Company  intends to  establish  additional
distributorships  in the United  States for products in  areas other than hernia
repair, there can be no assurance that such efforts will be successful.  Failure
to diversify its distribution network in the United States could have a material
adverse  effect on  the Company's business,  financial condition  and results of
operations.
 
    SALES  INTERNATIONALLY.     The  Company's  products   are  currently   sold
internationally to general surgeons and specialists through USSC and independent
distributors  in Europe,  Asia, Latin America  and the Middle  East. The Company
generally operates under written agreements with its international distributors,
which typically  grant distributors  the right  to sell  the Company's  products
within   a  defined  territory  and  permit   the  distributors  to  sell  other
non-competing medical products.  In addition, the  agreements typically  include
minimum  sales forecast  requirements, minimum  inventory forecast requirements,
participation in  trade  shows and  marketing  efforts  on behalf  of  GSI,  and
training  and support service programs for end-users. The Company's distributors
typically purchase the Company's products at discounts that vary by product  and
market.
 
    Substantially  all of the Company's revenues  to date have been derived from
hernia repair products sold to USSC.  Sales to USSC accounted for  approximately
75%  and 87% of the Company's total sales  for the year ended June 30, 1995, and
for the nine  months ended March  31, 1996, respectively.  Sales outside of  the
United  States accounted for approximately 2%, 3%  and 2% of the Company's sales
in fiscal  1994,  fiscal  1995  and  the  nine  months  ended  March  31,  1996,
respectively, and the Company expects that international sales will represent an
increasing portion of revenue in the future. The
 
                                       41
<PAGE>
Company  records all  sales to  USSC as  domestic sales;  however, sales  of the
Company's products  by  USSC  include  sales to  European  and  other  countries
internationally, made through Autosuture, Inc., a subsidiary of USSC.
 
MANUFACTURING
 
    The Company manufactures its products in a clean room facility in Palo Alto,
California.  The Company has implemented quality  control systems as part of its
manufacturing process, which are designed to  enable the Company to achieve  ISO
9001  certification for its products by the  first half of 1997. The Company has
also been inspected by the California Department of Health Services ("CDHS"), on
behalf of the CDHS and the FDA,  and is registered with the State of  California
to  manufacture  its  medical  devices.  The  Company  believes  that  it  is in
compliance with all FDA requirements including FDA Good Manufacturing  Practices
("GMP")  for  medical devices.  There  can be  no  assurance, however,  that the
Company will attain  ISO 9001 certification  in 1997, or  that the Company  will
remain  in compliance with GMP, and failure to do so in either case could have a
material  adverse  effect  on  the  Company's  business,  operating  results  or
financial condition.
 
    The  Company  occupies  a  single  facility  that  houses  its headquarters,
administrative offices, research laboratories and manufacturing facilities. This
facility is subject to  a lease that  expires in March  1997. While the  Company
believes  that this space is adequate for  its immediate needs, GSI will need to
obtain additional  office, development  and manufacturing  space to  accommodate
expected  business growth during 1996  and 1997. There can  be no assurance that
the Company will be  able to obtain such  additional facilities on  commercially
reasonable  terms, or at  all. If the  Company is able  to lease such additional
space, there can be no assurance that the Company will be able to establish  and
certify  adequate manufacturing capacity in a timely  manner, or at all, in such
space. Failure  to obtain  additional space  or establish  and certify  adequate
manufacturing  capacity in a timely manner  could have a material adverse effect
on the Company's business, financial condition or results of operations.
 
    Raw materials  used in  the production  of the  Company's balloon  dissector
products  are purchased from  various qualified vendors,  subjected to stringent
quality specifications  and assembled  by  the Company  into the  final  balloon
dissectors.  Quality  audits of  suppliers are  conducted,  and the  Company has
adopted a vendor  qualification program. The  Company currently obtains  certain
products  from single source suppliers, including its supplier of product molds.
The Company  believes  that alternative  suppliers  are available  for  its  raw
materials and other product components and plans to qualify additional suppliers
when  sales volumes warrant. Although the Company intends to maintain sufficient
levels of inventory to avoid any material disruption resulting from the scale-up
of manufacturing, there can  be no assurance  that the Company  will be able  to
manufacture  and  supply  sufficient  products  to  meet  potential  demand.  In
addition, there can be no assurance  that the single source suppliers will  meet
the  Company's future requirements for timely delivery of products of sufficient
quality and quantity. The inability of GSI's single source suppliers to  provide
it  with adequate supplies of  high quality products, or the  loss of any of the
Company's single  source suppliers,  could cause  a delay  in GSI's  ability  to
fulfill  orders  while  the  Company  identifies  and  certifies  a  replacement
supplier, and could have a material adverse effect upon the Company's  business,
financial  condition and  results of  operations. See  "Risk Factors  -- Limited
Manufacturing Experience; Uncertainty Regarding Future Facilities."
 
COMPETITION
 
    Competition in the market for medical devices and tissue dissection products
is intense and  is expected  to increase.  The Company  competes primarily  with
other  producers  of MIS  tissue dissection  products.  Origin, a  subsidiary of
Guidant Corporation, and Ethicon Endo-Surgery,  Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson  &
Johnson  Company,  among  others,  currently compete  with  the  Company  in the
development, production and marketing of  MIS tissue dissection instruments  and
tissue  dissection technology.  To the  extent that  surgeons elect  to use open
surgical procedures rather than MIS, the Company also competes with producers of
tissue dissection  products used  in  open surgical  procedures, such  as  blunt
dissectors  or graspers.  A number  of companies  currently compete  against the
Company in the
 
                                       42
<PAGE>
development,  production  and  marketing  of  tissue  dissection  products   and
technology  for  open surgical  procedures.  In addition,  the  Company competes
indirectly with producers of therapeutic drugs,  when such drugs are used as  an
alternative  to  surgery.  Many  of  the  Company's  competitors  and  potential
competitors have substantially  greater name recognition  and capital  resources
than  the Company and also have greater  resources and expertise in the areas of
research and  development,  obtaining regulatory  approvals,  manufacturing  and
marketing.
 
    The  Company believes that the primary competitive factors in the market for
tissue dissection  products  include safety,  efficacy,  ease of  use,  quality,
reliability and cost effectiveness. In addition, the length of time required for
products  to be  developed and  to receive  regulatory approval  is an important
competitive factor. The Company believes that it competes favorably with respect
to these factors, although there can be no assurance that it will continue to do
so.
 
    The  market  for  tissue  dissection  products  is  characterized  by  rapid
technical  innovation. Product  development involves a  high degree  of risk and
there  can  be  no  assurance  that  the  Company's  competitors  and  potential
competitors  will  not  succeed  in developing  and  marketing  technologies and
products that  are more  effective  than those  developed  and marketed  by  the
Company  or that would render the  Company's technology and products obsolete or
noncompetitive. The  medical applications  for which  the Company's  MIS  tissue
dissection  products are used can also be  addressed by other medical devices in
either MIS or open surgical procedures, many of which are widely accepted in the
medical community. There can be no assurance that a procedure using MIS  balloon
dissection  technology will  be able  to replace  such established  products and
procedures. Additionally, new surgical products or procedures could be developed
that replace  or  reduce the  importance  of  current procedures  that  use  the
Company's products.
 
PATENTS AND PROPRIETARY RIGHTS
 
   
    The  Company's policy  is to  seek to  protect its  proprietary position by,
among other  methods,  filing  United States  and  foreign  patent  applications
related to its technology, inventions and improvements that are important to the
development  of  its business.  The  Company's patent  strategy  includes filing
procedure-specific method patents for the use  of the Company's products in  new
clinical  applications. As of  March 31, 1996  GSI had 13  United States patents
issued, and had applied for an additional 45 United States patents, six of which
had notice of  allowance or  allowed claims. In  addition, GSI  had two  foreign
patents issued, and nine additional applications still in prosecution as of such
date.  In May 1996, the Company was issued a United States patent which contains
method claims regarding the use of balloons to dissect tissue planes anywhere in
the body.  The validity  and breadth  of claims  in medical  technology  patents
involve  complex  legal  and factual  questions  and, therefore,  may  be highly
uncertain. No assurance can  be given that any  patents based on pending  patent
applications or any future patent applications will be issued, that the scope of
any patent protection will exclude competitors or provide competitive advantages
to  the Company, that  any of the Company's  patents or patents  to which it has
licensed rights will  be held valid  if subsequently challenged  or that  others
will  not claim  rights in  or ownership  of the  patents and  other proprietary
rights held or licensed  by the Company or  that the Company's existing  patents
will cover the Company's future products. Furthermore, there can be no assurance
that  others have not developed or  will not develop similar products, duplicate
any of the Company's products or design around any patents issued to or licensed
by the Company or that may be issued in the future to the Company.
    
 
    The Company has acquired  a significant number of  patent rights from  third
parties,   including  rights  which  apply  to  the  Company's  current  balloon
dissection systems. The Company has historically paid and is obligated to pay in
the future  to  such third  parties  royalties equal  to  4% of  sales  of  such
products, which payments are expected to exceed certain minimum royalty payments
due  under agreements  with such parties.  The Company has  also acquired patent
rights  under  royalty-bearing  agreements  with  respect  to  certain  surgical
instruments,  including the KnotMaker suturing  instrument and the balloon valve
trocar currently under development.
 
                                       43
<PAGE>
    One of the patent applications filed by the Company, which is directed to  a
surgical  method  using  balloon  dissection  technology,  has  been  placed  in
interference with a  patent application  filed by  Origin, a  competitor of  the
Company.  The Company believes that the inventor named in its patent application
was the first to invent this subject  matter, and the Company has asserted  that
the Origin patent application was filed after a disclosure made by such inventor
to  employees of Origin.  Origin takes a contary  position. This interference is
presently pending in  the United  Stated Patent and  Trademark Office  ("USPTO")
and,  as permitted by the rules of the USPTO, has been referred to an arbitrator
for completion of  the interference proceeding.  A decision is  not expected  in
this interference proceeding until 1997, and, while the Company believes that it
will be successful in this interference proceeding, there can be no assurance of
such  success. Failure of the Company to prevail in such interference proceeding
could have  a  material adverse  effect  on the  Company's  business,  financial
condition, or results of operations.
 
    The  patent  position of  medical  device manufacturers,  including  GSI, is
uncertain and may involve  complex legal and  factual issues. Consequently,  the
Company  does  not know  whether  any of  its  applications will  result  in the
issuance of  any  further  patents,  or  whether  issued  patents  will  provide
significant  proprietary protection or  will not be  challenged, circumvented or
invalidated. Since patent  applications in  the U.S. are  maintained in  secrecy
until  patents issue, and since publications of discoveries in the scientific or
patent literature tend to lag behind  actual discoveries by several months,  GSI
cannot be certain that it was the first creator of inventions covered by pending
patent  applications or issued patents, or that  it was the first to file patent
applications  for   such  inventions.   Moreover,  the   Company  is   currently
participating  in, and  may in the  future have to  participate in, interference
proceedings declared by the USPTO to determine the priority of inventions, which
could result in substantial cost to the Company. There can be no assurance  that
the  Company's patent applications will result in further issued patents or that
such issued  patents  will offer  protection  against competitors  with  similar
technology.
 
    Legislation  is pending  in Congress that,  if enacted in  its present form,
would limit the ability of medical device manufacturers in the future to  obtain
patents  on surgical and medical  procedures that are not  performed by, or as a
part of,  devices or  compositions which  are themselves  patentable. While  the
Company  cannot predict  whether the legislation  will be  enacted, or precisely
what limitations  will  result  from  the law  if  enacted,  any  limitation  or
reduction  in the patentability  of medical and  surgical methods and procedures
could have a  material adverse effect  on the Company's  ability to protect  its
proprietary methods and procedures. In addition, the patent laws of European and
certain  other  foreign countries  generally do  not allow  for the  issuance of
patents for methods of  surgery in the human  body. Accordingly, the ability  of
the  Company to gain patent protection for its methods of tissue dissection will
be significantly  limited. As  a result,  there  can be  no assurance  that  the
Company  will be able to  develop a patent portfolio  in Europe or other foreign
jurisdictions  or  that  the  scope  of  any  patent  protection  will   provide
competitive advantages to the Company.
 
    GSI  also  relies  upon  technical  know-how  and  continuing  technological
innovation to  develop  and  maintain  its  competitive  position.  The  Company
typically   requires  its   employees,  consultants  and   advisors  to  execute
appropriate  confidentiality  and   assignment  of   inventions  agreements   in
connection  with their employment, consulting  or advisory relationship with the
Company. There can be no assurance,  however, that these agreements will not  be
breached  or  that  GSI  will  have  adequate  remedies  for  any  such  breach.
Furthermore, no assurance can be  given that competitors will not  independently
develop  substantially  equivalent  proprietary  information  and  techniques or
otherwise gain access to the Company's  proprietary technology, or that GSI  can
meaningfully protect its rights in unpatented proprietary technology.
 
GOVERNMENT REGULATION
 
    UNITED  STATES.   The  Company's Spacemaker  balloon dissection  systems and
other products are subject  to extensive and rigorous  regulation by the  United
States  Food and  Drug Administration  (the "FDA")  and, to  varying degrees, by
state   and   foreign   regulatory    agencies.   Under   the   Federal    Food,
 
                                       44
<PAGE>
Drug,  and Cosmetic  Act, the FDA  regulates the  clinical testing, manufacture,
labeling, packaging,  marketing, distribution  and  record keeping  for  medical
devices,  in  order to  ensure that  medical devices  distributed in  the United
States  are   safe   and   effective   for  their   intended   use.   Prior   to
commercialization,  a medical device generally  must receive prior FDA clearance
or approval, which can be an expensive, lengthy, and uncertain process.
 
    In the  United States,  medical devices  are classified  into one  of  three
classes  (I.E.,  Class  I, II,  or  III) on  the  basis of  the  controls deemed
necessary by the FDA to reasonably assure their safety and effectiveness.  Class
I   devices  are  subject   to  general  controls   (E.G.,  labeling,  premarket
notification and adherence to GMPs) and Class II devices are subject to  general
and  special  controls  (E.G., performance  standards,  postmarket surveillance,
patient registries, and FDA guidelines). Generally, Class III devices are  those
which  must receive premarket approval ("PMA") by the FDA to ensure their safety
and  effectiveness  (E.G.,  life-sustaining,  life-supporting  and   implantable
devices, or new devices which have been found not to be substantially equivalent
to legally marketed devices).
 
    Before  a new device can be introduced into the market in the United States,
the manufacturer or  distributor generally must  obtain FDA marketing  clearance
through  either  a 510(k)  premarket  notification or  a  PMA application.  If a
medical device manufacturer  or distributor can  establish, among other  things,
that  a device is  "substantially equivalent" in  intended use and technological
characteristics to a Class I or Class  II medical device or a Class III  medical
device  for which FDA has  not called for PMAs,  the manufacturer or distributor
may seek clearance from  the FDA to  market the device by  filing a 510(k).  The
510(k)  must  be  supported  by  appropriate  information  establishing  to  the
satisfaction of the  FDA the  claim of  substantial equivalence  to a  predicate
device.   In  recent  years,  the  FDA   has  been  requiring  a  more  rigorous
demonstration of substantial equivalence,  including more frequent requests  for
clinical data in 510(k) submissions.
 
    The  FDA  also has  the  authority to  require  clinical testing  of certain
medical devices. If clinical testing of a  device is required and if the  device
presents  a  "significant  risk," an  Investigational  Device  Exemption ("IDE")
application must  be  approved prior  to  commencing clinical  trials.  The  IDE
application  must  be  supported by  data,  typically including  the  results of
laboratory and animal testing. If the IDE application is approved by the FDA and
one or more  appropriate Institutional Review  Boards ("IRBs"), clinical  trials
may begin at a specific number of investigational sites with a maximum number of
patients,  as approved by  the agency. If the  device presents a "nonsignificant
risk" to the  patient, a sponsor  may begin the  clinical trial after  obtaining
approval  for the study by one or more appropriate IRBs without the need for FDA
approval. Sponsors  of  clinical trials  are  permitted to  sell  those  devices
distributed  in  the course  of the  study provided  such compensation  does not
exceed recovery of the costs of manufacture, research, development and handling.
The clinical trials must be conducted under  the auspices of an IRB pursuant  to
FDA regulations.
 
    Following  submission  of  the  510(k)  notification,  the  manufacturer  or
distributor may not  place the  device into commercial  distribution unless  and
until  an order  is issued by  the FDA  finding the product  to be substantially
equivalent. It generally takes from four to 12 months from submission to  obtain
510(k)  premarket clearance, but may  take longer. In response  to a 510(k), the
FDA may declare that the device  is substantially equivalent to another  legally
marketed  device and  allow the  proposed device  to be  marketed in  the United
States. The FDA,  however, may require  further information, including  clinical
data,  to  make  a  determination  regarding  substantial  equivalence,  or  may
determine that the proposed device is not substantially equivalent and require a
PMA. Such a request for additional information or determination that the  device
is  not substantially equivalent would delay market introduction of the product.
There can  be  no  assurance  that the  Company  will  obtain  510(k)  premarket
clearance  within the above time  frames, if at all, for  any of the devices for
which it may file a 510(k).
 
    For any medical device cleared through the 510(k) process, modifications  or
enhancements  that could significantly affect the safety or effectiveness of the
device or that constitute a major change to
 
                                       45
<PAGE>
the intended use of the device will require a new 510(k) submission. The Company
has made modifications to its products which the Company believes do not require
the submission of new 510(k) notices.  There can be no assurance, however,  that
the  FDA will agree with any of the Company's determinations not to submit a new
510(k) notice for any of these changes or will not require the Company to submit
a new 510(k)  notice for  any of the  changes made  to the product.  If the  FDA
requires the Company to submit a new 510(k) notice for any product modification,
the  Company may  be prohibited  from marketing  the modified  product until the
510(k) notice is cleared by  the FDA. Such a  prohibition could have a  material
adverse  effect on  the Company's business,  financial condition  and results of
operations.
 
    If a manufacturer or distributor of medical devices cannot establish that  a
proposed  device is substantially  equivalent to a  legally marketed device, the
manufacturer or distributor must seek premarket approval of the proposed  device
through  submission  of  a PMA.  A  PMA  must be  supported  by  extensive data,
including, laboratory, preclinical and clinical  trial data to prove the  safety
and  effectiveness of the device as well as extensive manufacturing information.
Following receipt  of a  PMA, if  the  FDA determines  that the  application  is
sufficiently  complete to permit  a substantive review, the  FDA will "file" the
application. The PMA approval process  can be lengthy, expensive and  uncertain.
FDA  review of a  PMA generally takes  approximately two years  or more from the
date of filing  to complete. If  granted, the  approval of the  PMA may  include
significant  limitations  on  the indicated  uses  for  which a  product  may be
marketed.
 
    Labeling and promotional activities are subject  to scrutiny by FDA and,  in
certain  circumstances, by the Federal Trade Commission. Current FDA enforcement
policy prohibits the marketing of approved medical devices for unapproved  uses.
The  Spacemaker  I  platform,  Spacemaker  II  platform,  Spacemaker  Resposable
platform, and  KnotMaker product  each have  received 510(k)  clearance for  use
during   general,  endoscopic,  laparoscopic,  or  cosmetic  and  reconstructive
surgery, either  when tissue  dissection is  required or,  with respect  to  the
KnotMaker  product, when a  surgical knot for suturing  is required. The Company
has promoted these products for performing the dissection required for  selected
applications   (E.G.,   hernia  repair,   SEPS   and  breast   augmentation  and
reconstruction), and may in the future promote these products for the dissection
or knotmaking required for additional selected applications (E.G., treatment  of
stress  urinary  incontinence,  saphenous  vein  harvesting  and  a  variety  of
retroperitoneal procedures such as spinal fusion). Although the Company believes
that these narrower  applications are  covered by the  510(k) clearance  already
received for each of these products, there can be no assurance that the FDA will
not  consider  promotion  of these  products  for performing  the  dissection or
knotmaking required for such  narrower indications to be  a major change to  the
intended  use of the  device and require  a new 510(k)  submission. In addition,
since its receipt of 510(k) clearances for these products, the Company has  made
product  modifications,  including developing  new balloon  shapes and  sizes to
facilitate dissection for specific  applications. Although the Company  believes
that  these product modifications  are covered by  the 510(k) clearances already
received, there can be no assurance that  the FDA will agree with the  Company's
determination or will not require a new 510(k) submission for some or all of the
new  balloon shapes and sizes or  other modifications. If such additional 510(k)
clearances are required, there can be no assurance that the Company will  obtain
them  on a  timely basis,  if at  all, and  delays in  receipt of  or failure to
receive such approvals  could have a  material adverse effect  on the  Company's
business, financial condition and results of operations.
 
    The  Company  anticipates filing  a  510(k) submission  for  its specialized
trocar with a balloon valve, which  provides a seal to maintain insufflation  of
the surgical space during MIS. There can be no assurance that the FDA will grant
510(k)  clearance for the Company's specialized trocar  on a timely basis, if at
all.
 
    In addition, there  can be no  assurance that  the Company will  be able  to
obtain  future 510(k)  clearances or PMA  approvals, if required,  to market its
products for the  intended uses  on a  timely basis, if  at all,  and delays  in
receipt of or failure to receive such approvals, the loss of previously received
approvals,  or failure to comply with existing or future regulatory requirements
could have a
 
                                       46
<PAGE>
material adverse  effect  on the  Company's  business, financial  condition  and
results  of operations.  The need for  additional clearances  or approvals could
cause the Company to utilize significant unanticipated resources and capital and
could prohibit  or delay  product  introductions, which  could have  a  material
adverse  effect on  the Company's business,  financial condition  and results of
operations.
 
    The Company is  subject to  pervasive and  continuing regulation,  including
routine  inspection  by  the FDA  and  state  agencies, such  as  the California
Department of Health  Services ("CDHS").  Manufacturers of  medical devices  for
marketing  in the United States are required to adhere to applicable regulations
setting forth  detailed GMP  requirements, which  include testing,  control  and
documentation  requirements. Manufacturers must also  comply with Medical Device
Reporting ("MDR") requirements  that a  company report  to FDA  any incident  in
which  its product may have caused or  contributed to a death or serious injury,
or in which its product malfunctioned and, if the malfunction were to recur,  it
would  be  likely  to  cause  or  contribute  to  a  death  or  serious  injury.
Noncompliance with applicable requirements can result in warning letters, import
detentions, fines,  civil  penalties,  injunctions,  suspensions  or  losses  of
regulatory  approvals, recall  or seizure  of products,  operating restrictions,
refusal of the government  to approve product export  applications or allow  the
Company  to enter  into supply  contracts, and  criminal prosecution.  Delays in
receipt of,  or  failure to  obtain  regulatory clearances  and  approvals,  the
restriction, suspension or revocation of regulatory clearances and approvals, if
obtained,  or any  failure to comply  with regulatory requirements  could have a
material adverse  effect  on the  Company's  business, financial  condition  and
results  of  operations. In  July  1995, the  Company's  Palo Alto  facility was
inspected by the CDHS, acting  for itself and under  contract with the FDA.  The
Company  received no  material inspectional  observations. The  FDA has proposed
changes to the GMP regulations that will likely increase the cost of  compliance
with  GMP requirements. If finalized, the proposed GMP changes will cover device
design and  servicing and  will  establish other  new requirements.  Changes  in
existing  requirements or  adoption of  new requirements  could have  a material
adverse effect on  the Company's  business, financial condition  and results  of
operation. There can be no assurance that the Company will not incur significant
costs  to  comply with  laws  and regulations  in the  future  or that  laws and
regulations will not have a material adverse effect upon the Company's business,
financial condition or results of operations.
 
    The Company  also is  subject  to numerous  federal,  state and  local  laws
relating  to such matters as  safe working conditions, environmental protection,
and fire hazard control. There can be no assurance that the Company will not  be
required  to incur significant costs to comply with such laws and regulations in
the future or that  such laws or  regulations will not  have a material  adverse
effect upon the Company's ability to do business.
 
    Regulations regarding the development, manufacture and sale of the Company's
products  are subject to change. The Company cannot predict what impact, if any,
such changes  might have  on its  business, financial  condition or  results  of
operations.
 
    INTERNATIONAL.    Sales of  medical devices  outside  the United  States are
subject to  foreign regulatory  requirements that  vary widely  from country  to
country. The time required to obtain clearance required by foreign countries may
be  longer or shorter than that required  for FDA clearance or approval, and the
requirements may differ. The  Company currently relies  on its distributors  for
the   receipt  of  premarket  approvals   and  compliance  with  clinical  trial
requirements in those countries  that require them, and  the Company expects  to
continue  to rely on distributors in those countries where the Company continues
to use distributors.  Many countries  in which  the Company  intends to  operate
either  do not currently  regulate medical devices  or have minimal registration
requirements; however, these countries may develop more expensive regulations in
the future  that could  adversely affect  the Company's  ability to  market  its
products.  Other countries, such as Japan, have requirements similar to those of
the United  States. This  disparity in  the regulation  of medical  devices  may
result  in more rapid product clearance in certain countries than in others. The
products sold by the Company are subject to premarket approval as well as  other
regulatory requirements in many countries.
 
                                       47
<PAGE>
    In  order to continue selling its products within the European Economic Area
following June 14, 1998, the Company is required to achieve compliance with  the
requirements  of the Medical Devices Directive  (the "MDD") and affix CE marking
on its  products to  attest  such compliance.  To  achieve this,  the  Company's
products  must meet the Essential Requirements as defined under the MDD relating
to safety and  performance of  its products  and the  Company must  successfully
undergo verification of its regulatory compliance ("conformity assessment") by a
Notified Body selected by the Company. The nature of such assessment will depend
on  the  regulatory class  of the  Company's products.  Under European  law, the
Company's products are  likely to be  in Class IIA  or lower. In  the case of  a
Class  IIA product the Company  can choose between two  options. Under the first
option the Company  must establish and  maintain a complete  quality system  for
design  and manufacture as described in Annex II of the MDD (this corresponds to
a quality system  described in ISO  9001 and EN  46001 standards). The  Notified
Body  must audit this quality system and  determine if it meets the requirements
of the MDD.  The second  option involves two  stages. First,  the Company  would
declare  that its products comply  with the provisions of  the MDD that apply to
them and prepare technical documentation  to allow the conformity assessment  of
the  products. Next, the  Company could choose  to do one  of the following: (i)
request the Notified Body to carry out batch testing of the finished products to
verify their conformity, (ii) set up  a complete quality system for  manufacture
subject  to assessment by the Notified Body or (iii) set up a quality system for
the final testing of products subject  to conformity assessment by the  Notified
Body. Irrespective of the conformity assessment route chosen by the Company, the
Company  must ensure that the products comply with the Essential Requirements of
the MDD. In  order to comply  with these requirements,  the Company must,  among
other  things,  carry out  a  risk analysis.  The  Company may  have  to present
clinical  data  to  provide  evidence  of  compliance  with  certain   Essential
Requirements  if  evidence by  other means  is  insufficient. The  clinical data
presented by  the Company  must  provide evidence  that  the products  meet  the
performance  specifications claimed by the  Company, provide sufficient evidence
of adequate  assessment  of  unwanted  side-effects  and  demonstrate  that  the
benefits  to  the patient  outweigh the  risks associated  with the  device. The
Company will be subject to continued  supervision by the Notified Body and  will
have to report any serious adverse incidents to the appropriate authorities. The
Company  also will have to comply with additional national requirements that are
beyond the scope of the MDD. The  Company believes that it will comply with  the
CE marking requirements prior to June 14, 1998. Failure to do so would mean that
the  Company would be unable to sell  its products in the European Economic Area
unless and until compliance  was achieved, which could  have a material  adverse
effect   upon  the  Company's  business,  financial  condition  and  results  of
operations. There can be no assurance that  the Company will be able to  achieve
or  maintain compliance required for CE marking or any or all of its products or
that it  will  be able  to  produce its  products  timely and  profitably  while
complying with the requirements of the MDD and other regulatory requirements.
 
THIRD-PARTY REIMBURSEMENT
 
    In  the United States, hospitals,  physicians and other healthcare providers
that purchase  medical devices  generally rely  on third-party  payors, such  as
private health insurance plans, to reimburse all or part of the costs associated
with the treatment of patients.
 
    The  Company's success  will depend upon  the ability of  surgeons to obtain
satisfactory reimbursement from  healthcare payors for  the Company's  products.
Reimbursement in the United States for the Company's balloon dissection products
is  currently  available  from  most third-party  payors,  including  most major
private health  care  insurance  plans and  Medicaid,  under  existing  surgical
procedure  codes. The Company does not  expect that third-party reimbursement in
the United States will  be available for  use of its  other products unless  and
until  FDA clearance or  approval is received.  If FDA clearance  or approval is
received, third-party reimbursement  for these products  will be dependent  upon
decisions  by individual health maintenance  organizations, private insurers and
other payors. Many payors, including the federal Medicare program, pay a  preset
amount  for the surgical facility component of a surgical procedure. This amount
typically includes medical  devices such  as the Company's.  Thus, the  surgical
facility   or  surgeon  may  not  recover   the  added  cost  of  the  Company's
 
                                       48
<PAGE>
products. In  addition, managed  care payors  often limit  coverage to  surgical
devices  on a  pre-approved list  or obtained from  an exclusive  source. If the
Company's products are not on the list  or are not available from the  exclusive
source,  the facility or surgeon will need to obtain an exception from the payor
or the patient  will be  required to  pay for some  or all  of the  cost of  the
Company's  product.  The  Company  believes that  procedures  using  its balloon
dissection products  may  be  reimbursed  in the  United  States  under  certain
existing procedure codes. However, there can be no assurance that such procedure
codes  will remain available or that the reimbursement under these codes will be
adequate. Given the efforts to control and decrease health care costs in  recent
years,  there can be no  assurance that any reimbursement  will be sufficient to
permit the Company to achieve or maintain profitability.
 
    Reimbursement  systems  in  international  markets  vary  significantly   by
country,  and by region within some  countries, and reimbursement approvals must
be obtained  on  a country-by-country  basis.  Many international  markets  have
government managed health care systems that govern reimbursement for new devices
and  procedures. In most markets, there are private insurance systems as well as
government-managed systems.  Large-scale  market  acceptance  of  the  Company's
balloon  dissectors and other products will depend on the availability and level
of reimbursement in  international markets targeted  by the Company.  Currently,
the  Company has  been informed by  its international  distributors that balloon
dissectors have been  approved for  reimbursement in  many of  the countries  in
which  the Company markets  its products. Obtaining  reimbursement approvals can
require 12 to 18 months  or longer. There can be  no assurance that the  Company
will  obtain  reimbursement  in any  country  within  a particular  time,  for a
particular amount, or  at all.  Failure to obtain  such approvals  could have  a
material  adverse effect on  the Company's sales,  business, financial condition
and results of operations.
 
    Regardless of the type  of reimbursement system,  the Company believes  that
surgeon  advocacy  of its  products will  be  required to  obtain reimbursement.
Availability of reimbursement will depend on  the clinical efficacy and cost  of
the  Company's  balloon  dissection  systems. There  can  be  no  assurance that
reimbursement for the Company's products will be available in the United  States
or  in international  markets under  either government  or private reimbursement
systems, or that surgeons will support and advocate reimbursement for use of the
Company's systems  for all  applications  intended by  the Company.  Failure  by
surgeons,  hospitals  and  other  users  of  the  Company's  products  to obtain
sufficient  reimbursement  from  health  care  payors  or  adverse  changes   in
government  and private  third-party payors'  policies toward  reimbursement for
procedures employing the Company's products would have a material adverse effect
on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations.
 
PRODUCT LIABILITY AND INSURANCE
 
    The Company's  business involves  an inherent  risk of  exposure to  product
liability claims. Although the Company has not experienced any product liability
claims to date, there can be no assurance that the Company will be able to avoid
significant  product liability  claims and potential  related adverse publicity.
The Company  maintains  product  liability insurance  with  coverage  limits  of
$5,000,000  per occurrence and an annual  aggregate maximum of $5,000,000, which
the Company believes  is comparable  to that  maintained by  other companies  of
similar  size serving similar  markets. However, there can  be no assurance that
product liability claims will not  exceed such insurance coverage limits,  which
could have a material adverse effect on the Company, or that such insurance will
continue to be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all.
 
ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS
 
    The  Company is subject to federal, state and local laws, rules, regulations
and policies governing the use, generation, manufacture, storage, air  emission,
effluent  discharge, handling and disposal  of certain hazardous and potentially
hazardous substances used in connection with the Company's operations.  Although
the Company believes that it has complied with these laws and regulations in all
 
                                       49
<PAGE>
material  respects  and to  date has  not been  required to  take any  action to
correct any noncompliance, there can be  no assurance that the Company will  not
be  required to incur significant costs to comply with environmental regulations
in the future.
 
EMPLOYEES
 
    As of March 31, 1996, GSI employed  59 individuals, 18 of whom were  engaged
directly  in research, development, regulatory and quality assurance affairs, 15
in  manufacturing,  18  in  marketing  and  sales  and  eight  in  finance   and
administration. The Company also contracts with outside consultants. None of the
Company's  employees  is  covered  by  a  collective  bargaining  agreement. GSI
believes that it maintains good relations with its employees.
 
FACILITIES
 
    The Company occupies a facility of approximately 19,500 square feet in  Palo
Alto,  California,  which  houses  the  Company's  headquarters,  administrative
offices, research  laboratories and  manufacturing facilities.  The facility  is
subject  to a lease which expires on  March 31, 1997. While the Company believes
that this space is  adequate for its  immediate needs, GSI  will need to  obtain
additional  office, development and manufacturing  space to accommodate expected
business growth during  1997. There  can be  no assurance  that such  additional
facilities will be available on commercially reasonable terms.
 
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
 
    From  time to time the  Company may be exposed  to litigation arising out of
its products and operations. As of the  date of this Prospectus, the Company  is
not  engaged in any legal proceedings that  are expected, individually or in the
aggregate, to have a material adverse effect on the Company, except for a patent
interference proceeding. See "-- Patents and Proprietary Rights."
 
                                       50
<PAGE>
                                   MANAGEMENT
 
DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
 
    The  directors and executive  officers of the  Company and their  ages as of
March 31, 1996 are as follows:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
            NAME                   AGE                                   POSITION
- -----------------------------      ---      -------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                            <C>          <C>
Roderick A. Young                  52       President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
James E. Jervis                    60       Vice President of Research and Development
Gregory D. Casciaro                39       Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Stephen J. Bonelli                 33       Chief Financial Officer, Vice President of Finance, and Treasurer
Thomas J. Fogarty, M.D.            62       Chairman of the Board of Directors
David W. Chonette (1)              60       Director
Paul Goeld (2)                     44       Director
Mark A. Wan (1)(2)                 30       Director
</TABLE>
 
- ------------------------
(1) Member of the Audit Committee.
 
(2) Member of the Compensation Committee.
 
    RODERICK A. YOUNG  joined GSI in  August 1993, and  serves as President  and
Chief  Executive  Officer.  From  May  1993 until  joining  GSI,  Mr.  Young was
President and CEO of Focus Surgery, Inc., a medical device company that was spun
out of Diasonics, Inc. in October 1993. Prior to Focus Surgery, Mr. Young served
in various executive positions, including President, Chief Financial Officer and
Chief Operating Officer of Diasonics, Inc. a medical products manufacturer, from
May 1990 to May 1993. Mr. Young serves  or has served on the Board of  Directors
of  Diasonics and  Pacific Gateway Properties,  Inc. and  several privately held
companies. Mr.  Young received  a  B.S. degree  in Industrial  Engineering  from
Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
 
    JAMES  E. JERVIS joined GSI  in March 1994, and  serves as Vice President of
Research and  Development. Prior  to joining  GSI, Mr.  Jervis had  30 years  of
engineering   design,   development   and  operations   experience   at  Raychem
Corporation. At Raychem, Mr. Jervis held various executive positions,  including
Director  of New Business Development, General  Manager - Medical Products Group
and Operations Manager. Mr. Jervis holds 19 patents and is named as inventor  in
over  50  other patents.  Mr.  Jervis received  a BSME  degree  and an  MBA from
Stanford University.
 
    GREGORY D.  CASCIARO  joined  GSI  in February  1995,  and  serves  as  Vice
President  of  Sales and  Marketing.  Prior to  joining  GSI, Mr.  Casciaro held
various positions at Devices for  Vascular Intervention, Inc., a medical  device
manufacturer,  including Vice  President of  Sales, from  June 1991  to February
1995. Previously, Mr. Casciaro  held various sales  positions at North  American
Instrument  Corporation, a medical device company,  from March 1983 to May 1991.
Mr. Casciaro  received a  B.S. degree  in Business  Administration at  Marquette
University.
 
    STEPHEN  J.  BONELLI  joined GSI  in  September  1994, and  serves  as Chief
Financial Officer, Vice President  of Finance, and  Treasurer. Prior to  joining
GSI,  Mr.  Bonelli held  financial  management positions  at  Coactive Computing
Corporation, a computer networking company,  from November 1993 to August  1994,
and  Ready Systems  Corporation, a  software company,  from May  1990 to October
1993. Previous to those positions, Mr.  Bonelli held a management position  with
Ernst  & Young.  Mr. Bonelli received  a B.S. degree  in Business Administration
from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Mr. Bonelli is  a
Certified Public Accountant.
 
    DR.  THOMAS J. FOGARTY co-founded GSI in April 1992, and has been a director
of the  Company since  that time.  Dr. Fogarty  has an  appointment at  Stanford
University  as a  Professor of  Surgery. He  holds over  50 patents  in surgical
instrumentation,  including  the  Fogarty  balloon  catheter  and  the   Fogarty
 
                                       51
<PAGE>
vascular  clamp. Dr. Fogarty has also been instrumental in founding a variety of
medical device companies  over the  past 30 years,  including Cardiac  Pathways,
Inc., CardioVascular Concepts, Perclose, Inc. and Ventritex. Dr. Fogarty is also
a  founding general partner of Three Arch Partners, a venture capital investment
firm. Dr. Fogarty received his M.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of
Medicine.
 
    DAVID W. CHONETTE has served as a  director of the Company since July  1993.
Mr.  Chonette is  a general partner  of Brentwood Associates,  a venture capital
partnership. Mr. Chonette joined Brentwood in 1986, after 19 years with American
Hospital Supply Corporation (now Baxter International), a distributor of medical
products. During this  period, Mr. Chonette  served as president  of the  Edward
division, and as group vice president responsible for several medical device and
pharmaceutical  divisions. Mr.  Chonette also  serves as  a director  of Biopsys
Medical, KeraVision, and  several private  health care  companies. Mr.  Chonette
received  his B.S. in  Mechanical Engineering from MIT,  and M.S. in Engineering
from USC.
 
    PAUL GOELD has  served as a  director of  the Company since  June 1995.  Mr.
Goeld has served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of LocalMed,
Inc.,  a  medical device  company,  since January  1994.  From November  1992 to
December 1993, Mr. Goeld was President, Chief Executive Officer, and a  Director
of  Pilot Cardiovascular Systems, Inc., a  manufacturer of medical devices. From
September 1991  to  April 1992,  Mr.  Goeld  was President  of  the  Angioplasty
Division  of Datascope Corporation, a manufacturer of medical devices. From 1986
to 1991,  Mr.  Goeld  was  President and  Chief  Executive  Officer,  of  Camino
Laboratories, Inc., a manufacturer of diagnostic systems. Mr. Goeld received his
B.S  in  Chemistry from  the University  of Florida  and M.B.A.  from Pepperdine
University.
 
    MARK A. WAN co-founded GSI in April 1992 and served as an officer from  June
1992  to September 1993.  Mr. Wan was  also a founding  general partner of Three
Arch Partners, a venture capital partnership, in October 1993 where he continues
to hold the position of general partner. Prior to founding Three Arch  Partners,
from  1987 to September 1993,  Mr. Wan served in  various positions at Brentwood
Associates, most recently as a general partner. Mr. Wan also serves on the Board
of Directors  of  LocalMed, Inc.,  Perclose,  and several  other  privately-held
health  care companies. In addition,  he has been involved  in the formation and
operation  of  several  privately  held,  venture-capital  backed  health   care
companies.  Mr. Wan received a  B.S and B.A. from  Yale University and an M.B.A.
from Stanford Graduate School of Business.
 
BOARD COMPOSITION
 
    The Company's  Bylaws  authorize  the  Board  to  designate  the  number  of
directors.  The Company currently has five  directors. All directors hold office
until the next  annual meeting of  shareholders or until  their successors  have
been  elected and qualified.  Officers serve at  the discretion of  the Board of
Directors. Each of the Company's officers and directors, other than non-employee
directors, devotes substantially full  time to the affairs  of the Company.  The
Company's  non-employee directors devote such time to the affairs of the Company
as is necessary  to discharge their  duties. There are  no family  relationships
between  any  of the  directors,  executive officers,  or  key employees  of the
Company.
 
BOARD COMMITTEES
 
    The Company's Board  of Directors has  established a Compensation  Committee
(consisting  of Messrs. Goeld  and Wan), which  establishes salaries, incentives
and other  forms  of compensation  for  Directors, executive  officers  and  key
employees  of the  Company, and  administers various  incentive compensation and
benefit plans, and an Audit Committee (consisting of Messrs. Chonette and  Wan),
which  reviews the results and scope of the audit and other services provided by
the Company's independent accountants and  reviews the Company's internal  audit
controls.
 
                                       52
<PAGE>
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
 
    Directors  do not currently  receive any cash  compensation from the Company
for their  service as  members of  the  Board of  Directors, although  they  are
reimbursed  for  certain expenses  in connection  with  attendance at  Board and
Committee meetings.  Non-employee  directors  of the  Company  are  eligible  to
receive  options under the  Directors' Plan. See "Management  -- Stock and Other
Plans."
 
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
 
    The following  table sets  forth the  compensation awarded  or paid  by  the
Company  during the fiscal year  ended June 30, 1995  to (i) the Company's Chief
Executive Officer and (ii) the most highly paid of the Company's other executive
officers who earned in excess of $100,000 during the fiscal year  (collectively,
the "Named Executive Officers").
 
                           SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                   ANNUAL COMPENSATION
                                                                  ----------------------    ALL OTHER
NAME AND PRINCIPAL POSITION                                       SALARY ($)   BONUS ($)  COMPENSATION
- ----------------------------------------------------------------  -----------  ---------  -------------
<S>                                                               <C>          <C>        <C>
Roderick A. Young ..............................................  $   160,000  $  20,000    $       0
  President and Chief Executive Officer
James E. Jervis ................................................      133,377          0            0
  Vice President of Research and Development
</TABLE>
 
    No  options to purchase capital stock of the Company were granted during the
fiscal year ended June 30, 1995  to the Named Executive Officers. Subsequent  to
June  30, 1995, the  Company's executive officers were  granted stock options or
stock purchase  rights  to an  aggregate  of  274,541 shares  of  Common  Stock,
including 109,817 shares to Mr. Young and 27,454 shares to Mr. Jervis.
 
    No named executive officer exercised a stock option during fiscal 1995.
 
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE INTERLOCKS AND INSIDER PARTICIPATION
 
    During the fiscal year ended June 30, 1995, the following individuals served
on  the Company's Compensation Committee: Dave Chonette and Mark A. Wan. Mr. Wan
served as  an officer  of the  Company from  June 1992  to September  1993.  Mr.
Chonette has never served as an officer or employee of the Company.
 
STOCK AND OTHER PLANS
 
    1992  STOCK OPTION PLAN.   The Company's 1992 Stock  Option Plan (the "Stock
Plan") was adopted  by the  Board of  Directors in  September 1992.  A total  of
1,715,895  shares of Common Stock has been reserved for issuance under the Stock
Plan. As of March 31, 1996, 64,719  shares had been issued upon the exercise  of
stock  options or stock purchase rights  granted under the Stock Plan, 1,050,904
shares were subject to outstanding options and 600,273 shares remained available
for future grants. The  Stock Plan provides  for the grant  to employees of  the
Company  (including officers and employee  directors) of incentive stock options
within the meaning  of Section  422 of  the Internal  Revenue Code  of 1986,  as
amended  (the  "Code"),  and for  the  grant  of nonstatutory  stock  options to
employees of and consultants  to the Company. The  Stock Plan also provides  for
the  issuance of  shares of  Common Stock  directly to  employees or consultants
pursuant to restricted stock purchase agreements, rather than pursuant to  stock
options. The Stock Plan is administered by the Board of Directors or a committee
of  the Board  of Directors,  which determines  the terms  of options  and stock
purchase rights granted under the Stock Plan, including the number of shares  to
be  subject to each option and determines the exercise or purchase price of each
option or stock purchase right. In no event, however, may an individual employee
receive option grants for more than 200,000  shares under the Stock Plan in  any
fiscal year. The exercise price of all incentive stock options granted under the
Stock  Plan must be equal to at least  the fair market value of the Common Stock
on the  date of  grant. The  exercise price  of all  nonstatutory stock  options
granted  under the Stock Plan must  be equal to at least  85% of the fair market
value of the Common Stock on the date of grant. With respect to any  participant
who  owns stock possessing more  than 10% of the voting  power of all classes of
stock of the
 
                                       53
<PAGE>
Company, the exercise price of any stock option granted must equal at least 110%
of the fair market value  on the grant date and  the maximum term of the  option
must  not exceed  five years. The  term of  all other options  granted under the
Stock Plan may not exceed ten years.
 
    In the event of certain  changes in control of  the Company, the Stock  Plan
requires  that  each  outstanding  option be  assumed  or  an  equivalent option
substituted  by  the   successor  corporation;  provided,   however,  that   the
Administrator  may, in lieu of such  assumption or substitution, provide for the
optionee to have the right to exercise the option as to all of the stock subject
thereto, including shares  which would  not otherwise be  exercisable, in  which
case each option will be exercisable for 15 days from the date of notice of such
determination. Unless terminated sooner, the Stock Plan will terminate ten years
from its effective date. The Board has authority to amend or terminate the Stock
Plan,  provided no  such action  would impair  the rights  of the  holder of any
outstanding options without the written consent of such holder.
 
    1996 EMPLOYEE  STOCK  PURCHASE PLAN.    The Company's  1996  Employee  Stock
Purchase  Plan (the "Purchase  Plan") was adopted  by the Board  of Directors in
March 1996, and  will be  submitted to the  shareholders for  approval in  April
1996.  A total of 274,543 shares of  Common Stock has been reserved for issuance
under the Purchase Plan. The Purchase Plan will be administered by the Board  of
Directors,  or a committee named by the Board of Directors. Employees (including
officers and  employee directors)  of  the Company,  or  of any  majority  owned
subsidiary  designated by  the Board,  are eligible  to participate  if they are
employed by the Company or  any such subsidiary for at  least 20 hours per  week
and  more than  five months per  year. The  Purchase Plan, which  is intended to
qualify under  Section 423  of the  Code, will  be implemented  by a  series  of
offering  periods of  twelve months duration,  with new  offering periods (other
than the first offering period) commencing on  or about January 1 and July 1  of
each year. Each offering period will consist of two consecutive purchase periods
of  six months  duration, with the  last day  of such period  being designated a
purchase date.  The initial  offering period  will  begin on  the date  of  this
offering  and will continue  through December 31, 1996,  with the first purchase
date occurring on June 30, 1996 and subsequent purchase dates to occur every six
months thereafter.  The Purchase  Plan permits  eligible employees  to  purchase
Common  Stock  through  payroll  deductions,  which may  not  exceed  10%  of an
employee's compensation, at a price equal to the lower of 95% of the fair market
value of the Company's Common Stock at  the beginning of the offering period  or
the  purchase date. If the  fair market value of the  Common Stock on a purchase
date is less than the fair market value at the beginning of the offering period,
a new  twelve  month offering  period  will  automatically begin  on  the  first
business  day following  the purchase  date with  a new  fair market  value. The
maximum number of shares purchasable by all participants on a purchase date  may
not  exceed 50,000 shares. Employees may  end their participation in an offering
at any time during the offering period, and once during each offering period may
decrease the rate of payroll deductions. Participation in the Purchase Plan ends
automatically on termination of employment with the Company.
 
    The Purchase Plan provides that in the event of a merger of the Company with
or into another  corporation or  a sale of  substantially all  of the  Company's
assets,  each right to purchase stock under the Purchase Plan will be assumed or
an equivalent right substituted by the successor corporation unless the Board of
Directors shortens the  offering period  so that employees'  rights to  purchase
stock  under the  Purchase Plan  are exercised  prior to  the merger  or sale of
assets. The Board of Directors has the power to amend or terminate the  Purchase
Plan  as long as such action does not adversely affect any outstanding rights to
purchase stock thereunder.  If not  terminated earlier, the  Purchase Plan  will
have a term of twenty years.
 
    1995  DIRECTORS' STOCK OPTION PLAN.  The  Directors' Plan was adopted by the
Board of Directors in November 1995,  and will be submitted to the  shareholders
for  approval in April 1996. A total of 164,726 shares of Common Stock have been
reserved for issuance under  the Directors' Plan.  The Directors' Plan  provides
for  the grant  of nonstatutory stock  options to non-employee  directors of the
Company.  The  Directors'  Plan  is  designed  to  work  automatically   without
administration;  however, to the extent administration  is necessary, it will be
performed by the Board of Directors. The exercise
 
                                       54
<PAGE>
price of all stock options granted under  the Directors' Plan shall be equal  to
the  fair market value of a  share of the Company's Common  Stock on the date of
grant of the option. Options  granted under the Directors'  Plan have a term  of
ten years.
 
    In  the event of a merger of the Company with or into another corporation or
a sale of substantially all of the Company's assets, each option will be assumed
or an equivalent  option substituted  by the successor  corporation, unless  the
successor corporation does not agree to the assumption or substitution, in which
case  the optionee will have the  right to exercise the option  as to all of the
stock  subject  thereto,   including  shares  which   would  not  otherwise   be
exercisable.  The Board of Directors may amend or terminate the Directors' Plan;
provided, however,  that no  such action  may adversely  affect any  outstanding
option,  and the provisions regarding the grant of options under the plan may be
amended only once in any six-month period, other than to comport with changes in
the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended ("ERISA") or  to
Code.  If not terminated  earlier, the Directors'  Plan will have  a term of ten
years.
 
    401(K) PLAN.  The Company's tax deferred savings plan (the "401(k) Plan") is
intended to qualify  under Section  401 of the  Internal Revenue  Code, so  that
contributions  by employees  or by  the Company to  the 401(k)  Plan, and income
earned on contributions, are generally not taxable to employees until  withdrawn
from  the 401(k)  Plan. The  401(k) Plan  covers all  employees of  the Company.
Employees may elect to defer, in the  form of contributions to the 401(k)  Plan,
between  1% and 20% of their  pre-tax compensation; however, the amount deferred
may not exceed the statutorily prescribed annual limit. The 401(k) Plan does not
permit matching contributions to be  made to the 401(k)  Plan by the Company  on
behalf  of employees. Contributions are  allocated to each employee's individual
account, which is invested in selected mutual funds or a guaranteed income  fund
according to the directions of the employee.
 
LIMITATIONS OF DIRECTORS' AND OFFICERS' LIABILITY
 
    The  Company's  Articles  of  Incorporation provide  that  directors  of the
Company shall not be  personally liable to the  Company or its shareholders  for
monetary  damages  for  breach of  the  directors' fiduciary  duties  except for
liability (i) for  acts or omissions  that involve intentional  misconduct or  a
knowing  and  culpable violation  of  law, (ii)  for  acts or  omissions  that a
director believes to  be contrary to  the best  interest of the  Company or  its
shareholders  or  that involve  the absence  of good  faith on  the part  of the
director, (iii) for any  transaction from which a  director derived an  improper
personal  benefit, (iv) for acts or omissions that show a reckless disregard for
the director's duty to the Company or its shareholders in circumstances in which
the director was aware,  or should have  been aware, in  the ordinary course  of
performing  a director's duties, of  a risk of a series  a serious injury to the
Company or  its  shareholder, (v)  for  acts  or omissions  that  constitute  an
unexcused pattern of inattention that amounts to an abdication of the director's
duty  to  the  Company  or  its shareholders,  (vi)  under  Section  310  of the
California Corporations  Code (the  "California Code")  concerning contracts  or
transactions  between the Company and  a director or (vii)  under Section 316 of
the California  Code concerning  directors'  liability for  improper  dividends,
loans,  and guarantees. The provision does not  extend to acts or omissions of a
director in his capacity as an  officer. Further, the provision will not  affect
the  availability of injunctions  and other equitable  remedies available to the
Company's shareholders for any violation of  a director's fiduciary duty to  the
Company or its shareholders.
 
    The  Company's Articles of  Incorporation also include  an authorization for
the Company to indemnify its agents (as defined in Section 317 of the California
Code), through  bylaw provisions,  by  agreement or  otherwise, to  the  fullest
extent  permitted  by  law. Pursuant  to  this provision,  the  Company's Bylaws
provide for indemnification of the Company's directors, officers and  employees.
In  addition, the  Company, at  its discretion,  may provide  indemnification to
persons whom the Company  is not obligated to  indemnify. The Bylaws also  allow
the  Company  to  enter  into indemnity  agreements  with  individual directors,
officers, employees  and  other agents.  These  indemnity agreements  have  been
entered  into with all directors and  executive officers and provide the maximum
indemnification
 
                                       55
<PAGE>
permitted by  law. These  agreements,  together with  the Company's  Bylaws  and
Articles  of  Incorporation, may  require the  Company,  among other  things, to
indemnify these directors or executive officers (other than liability  resulting
from  willful misconduct of a  culpable nature), to advance  expenses to them as
they are incurred, provided that they undertake to repay the amount advanced  if
it  is  ultimately  determined  by  a  court  that  they  are  not  entitled  to
indemnification, and to obtain directors'  and officers' insurance if  available
on reasonable terms. Section 317 of the California Code and the Company's Bylaws
make  provision  for  the  indemnification  of  officers,  directors  and  other
corporate agents in terms  sufficiently broad to  indemnify such persons,  under
certain  circumstances,  for  liabilities  (including  reimbursement  of expense
incurred) arising under  the Securities  Act. At  present, there  is no  pending
litigation  or  proceeding  involving a  director,  officer or  employee  of the
Company regarding which indemnification is sought,  nor is the Company aware  of
any threatened litigation that may result in claims for indemnification.
 
    The  Company, with the approval of the Board of Directors, intends to obtain
directors' and officers' liability insurance.
 
                                       56
<PAGE>
                              CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS
 
    Since the inception of the Company in April 1992, the Company has issued, in
private placement  transactions,  shares  of  Preferred  Stock  as  follows:  an
aggregate  of 1,710,167 shares  of the Company's  Series A Preferred  Stock at a
price of $0.87  per share,  from July  1992 to  December 1992;  an aggregate  of
2,063,203  shares of the Company's Series B  Preferred Stock at a price of $2.66
per share, from September 1993 to  March 1995; an aggregate of 1,799,108  shares
of the Company's Series C Preferred Stock at a price of $3.75 per share from May
1995  to February  1996; and  an aggregate  of 261,220  shares of  the Company's
Series D  Preferred Stock  at a  price of  $7.17 per  share in  March 1996.  The
purchasers  of the  Series A,  Series B and  Series C  Preferred Stock included,
among others, the following 5% shareholders, directors, and entities  associated
with directors:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                       SHARES OF  SHARES OF  SHARES OF
                                                                       SERIES A   SERIES B   SERIES C
                                                                       PREFERRED  PREFERRED  PREFERRED
NAME                                                                     STOCK      STOCK      STOCK
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------  ---------  ---------  ---------
<S>                                                                    <C>        <C>        <C>
Brentwood Associates V, L.P. ........................................    571,965    658,151     26,654
Hancock Venture Partners, IV.........................................     --         --        799,640
Norwest Equity Partners IV...........................................     --        752,174    159,928
Schroder Venture International.......................................     --         93,021    533,066
Thomas J. Fogarty, M.D. .............................................    594,845    188,042     66,637
Three Arch Partners..................................................     --         93,021     81,014
</TABLE>
 
Upon  the closing  of this offering,  each outstanding share  of Preferred Stock
will be converted into one share of Common Stock.
 
    On  February  12,  1996,  the  Company  acquired  Adjacent  Surgical,   Inc.
("Adjacent"),  which was primarily  owned by Dr. Thomas  J. Fogarty, for 254,027
shares of GSI  Common Stock.  In addition, in  connection with  the merger,  GSI
agreed  to  assume  certain  obligations  of  Adjacent,  which  GSI subsequently
satisfied with  aggregate  payments  of  (i) 111,357  shares  of  GSI  Series  C
Preferred  Stock,  (ii)  two  convertible  promissory  notes,  for  an aggregate
principal amount  of $250,000,  convertible into  shares of  Series C  Preferred
Stock  and (iii) $144,470  in cash. The Adjacent  acquisition has been accounted
for as a purchase. The  Company, Adjacent and Dr.  Fogarty also entered into  an
Exclusive  License  Agreement under  which the  Company  will pay  royalties for
certain technology for vascular applications, to the extent the Company does not
already have proprietary rights to such technology. Three Arch Partners received
an aggregate of $250,000  in convertible promissory notes  and 13,326 shares  of
GSI  Series C Preferred Stock in connection with the merger. Dr. Fogarty and Mr.
Wan, directors and  co-founders of the  Company, are general  partners of  Three
Arch  Partners. In addition, Dr. Fogarty received an aggregate of 207,345 shares
of GSI  Common Stock  and  91,370 shares  of GSI  Series  C Preferred  Stock  in
connection with the merger.
 
    The Company has retained Fogarty Engineering, a sole proprietorship owned by
Dr.  Fogarty,  for certain  product development  efforts.  The Company  has paid
Fogarty  Engineering  $136,000  and  $55,000  in  fiscal  year  1995  and  1994,
respectively.
 
    The  Company has  loaned an  aggregate of  $120,000 to  certain officers and
directors of  the Company  in connection  with their  purchase of  Common  Stock
pursuant to Common Stock Purchase Agreements.
 
    All  future  transactions,  including  any loans  from  the  Company  to its
officers, directors, principal shareholders or affiliates, will be approved by a
majority of the Board of Directors, including a majority of the independent  and
disinterested  members  of the  Board of  Directors  or, if  required by  law, a
majority of disinterested shareholders, and will  be on terms no less  favorable
to the Company than could be obtained from unaffiliated third parties.
 
                                       57
<PAGE>
                             PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS
 
    The   following  table  sets  forth  certain  information  with  respect  to
beneficial ownership of  the Company's  Common Stock as  of March  31, 1996,  as
adjusted  to reflect the  sale by the  Company of the  shares offered hereby and
conversion of all outstanding  shares of Preferred Stock  into shares of  Common
Stock  upon completion of the offering, (i)  by each person known to the Company
to own beneficially more than five  percent of the outstanding shares of  Common
Stock,  (ii) by  each director  of the Company  who beneficially  owns shares of
Common Stock, (iii) by  each of the  Named Executive Officers,  and (iv) by  all
directors and executive officers of the Company as a group.
 
   
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                          SHARES       PERCENT BENEFICIALLY
                                                                        BENEFICIALLY          OWNED
                                                                           OWNED     ------------------------
                                                                        -----------    BEFORE        AFTER
NAME AND ADDRESS OF BENEFICIAL OWNER                                    NUMBER (1)    OFFERING     OFFERING
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  -----------
<S>                                                                     <C>          <C>          <C>
Thomas J. Fogarty, M.D. (2)(6) .......................................    2,083,633        21.6%        16.5%
3270 Alpine Road
Portola Valley, CA 94028
Brentwood Associates V, L.P. .........................................    1,428,359        14.8         11.3
1920 Main Street, Suite 820
Irvine, CA 92714
Norwest Equity Partners, IV ..........................................      921,505         9.5          7.3
3000 Sand Hill Road
Building 3, Suite 245
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Hancock Venture Partners, IV .........................................      799,640         8.3          6.3
One Financial Center, 44th Floor
Boston, MA 02111
Schroder Ventures ILS Fund Trust (3) .................................      796,327         8.3          6.3
235 Montgomery Street
San Francisco, CA 94104
George Hermann .......................................................      518,886         5.4          4.1
3270 Alpine Road
Portola Valley, CA 94028
Michelle Y. Monfort (4) ..............................................      519,085         5.4          4.1
c/o General Surgical Innovations, Inc.
3172A Porter Drive
Palo Alto, CA 94304
Kenneth H. Mollenauer (5) ............................................      531,073         5.5          4.2
c/o General Surgical Innovations, Inc.
3172A Porter Drive
Palo Alto, CA 94304
Mark A. Wan (6)(7) ...................................................      594,253         6.2          4.7
c/o Three Arch Partners
2800 Sand Hill Road
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Roderick A. Young (8).................................................      311,147         3.2          2.5
James E. Jervis (9)...................................................       98,377         1.0        *
Paul Goeld (10).......................................................        5,289       *            *
David W. Chonette (11)................................................    1,428,359        14.8         11.3
All directors and executive officers as a group
 (8 persons) (2)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)..............................    4,391,521        45.3%        34.6%
</TABLE>
    
 
- ------------------------
         *
    Less than 1%
 
                                       58
<PAGE>
       (1)
    Except as otherwise indicated in the footnotes to this table and pursuant to
    applicable community property laws, the persons named in the table have sole
    voting and investment power with respect to all shares of Common Stock.
 
       (2)
    Includes  188,042 shares  held by  the Thomas  J. Fogarty  Separate Property
    Trust, 1,267,165  shares held  by  the Fogarty  Family Revocable  Trust  and
    285,982 shares held by Lincoln Trust Company FBO Thomas J. Fogarty IRA. Also
    includes 91,370 shares held by Fogarty Engineering, a California corporation
    of  which  Dr. Fogarty  is a  director.  Because of  his position  with such
    entity, Dr. Fogarty may be deemed to  be a beneficial owner of such  shares,
    but expressly disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares.
 
       (3)
    Includes  182,604 shares held by  Schroder Incorporated, 126,365 shares held
    by Schroder Ventures  Limited Partnership,  31,591 shares  held by  Schroder
    Ventures  U.S.  Trust, 101,320  shares held  by  Schroder Ventures  ILS Fund
    Trust, 2,665 shares held  by Schroder Ventures  ILS Company Scheme;  287,817
    shares  held by Schroder Ventures International Life Sciences LPI and 63,965
    shares held by Schroder Ventures International Life Sciences LP2.
 
       (4)
    Includes 1,572 shares issuable upon  exercise of options exercisable  within
    60 days of March 31, 1996.
 
       (5)
    Includes  3,761 shares held  by Kim Mollenauer, 2,820  shares held by Martha
    Mollenauer and  2,860 shares  held  by Terry  Mollenauer,  all of  whom  are
    members   of  Kenneth  H.  Mollenauer's  immediate  family.  Mr.  Mollenauer
    expressly disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares.
 
   
       (6)
    Includes 33,871  shares held  by  Three Arch  Associates, L.P.  and  150,566
    shares  held by  Three Arch  Partners, L.P.  Also includes  66,637 shares of
    Common Stock issuable upon  conversion of certain notes  held by Three  Arch
    Partners, L.P. and Three Arch Associates, L.P. Thomas J. Fogarty and Mark A.
    Wan  are  general  partners of  Three  Arch  Partners, L.P.  and  Three Arch
    Associates, L.P. and may thereby be  deemed to be beneficial owners of  such
    shares. Dr. Fogarty and Mr. Wan both expressly disclaim beneficial ownership
    of such shares.
    
 
(7)  Excludes shares held by Brentwood Associates V, L.P. in which Mr. Wan has a
    carried  interest.  Mr.  Wan  is  a  Special  Limited  Partner  of  entities
    affiliated  with Brentwood Associates and  disclaims beneficial ownership of
    all shares  held by  such entities,  except  to the  extent of  his  carried
    interest therein.
 
       (8)
    Includes  9,151 shares issuable upon  exercise of options exercisable within
    60 days of March 31, 1996.
 
       (9)
    Includes 2,287 shares issuable upon  exercise of options exercisable  within
    60 days of March 31, 1996.
 
      (10)
    Includes  5,289 shares issuable upon  exercise of options exercisable within
    60 days of March 31, 1996.
 
      (11)
    Includes 1,428,356 shares held by Brentwood Associates V, L.P. Mr.  Chonette
    is  a general  partner of  Brentwood Associates V,  L.P. and  may thereby be
    deemed to  be a  beneficial owner  of such  shares. Mr.  Chonette  expressly
    disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares.
 
      (12)
    Includes  18,585 shares issuable upon exericse of options exercisable within
    60 days of  March 31, 1996,  held by  officers who are  not Named  Executive
    Officers.
 
                                       59
<PAGE>
                          DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK
 
    Following  the  closing  of  the  sale of  the  shares  offered  hereby, the
authorized capital stock  of the Company  will consist of  50,000,000 shares  of
Common  Stock, $0.001 par value, and 2,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock, $0.001
par value.
 
COMMON STOCK
 
    As  of  March  31,  1996,  there  were  9,653,342  shares  of  Common  Stock
outstanding  that were  held of record  by approximately  82 shareholders, after
giving effect to the conversion  of the Company's Series  A, Series B, Series  C
and  Series D Preferred Stock into Common Stock. The holders of Common Stock are
entitled to  one  vote  per share  on  all  matters  to be  voted  upon  by  the
shareholders.  Subject to preferences that may  be applicable to any outstanding
Preferred Stock, the  holders of Common  Stock are entitled  to receive  ratably
such  dividends, if any,  as may be declared  from time to time  by the Board of
Directors out of funds legally available therefor. See "Dividend Policy." In the
event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, the holders of
Common Stock are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining after payment
of liabilities,  subject  to prior  rights  of  Preferred Stock,  if  any,  then
outstanding.  The Common Stock  has no preemptive or  conversion rights or other
subscription  rights.  There  are  no  redemption  or  sinking  fund  provisions
available  to the Common Stock. All outstanding shares of Common Stock are fully
paid and  non-assessable, and  the shares  of  Common Stock  to be  issued  upon
completion of this offering will be fully paid and nonassessable.
 
PREFERRED STOCK
 
    Effective  following  the  closing of  this  offering, the  Company  will be
authorized to issue 2,000,000 shares of undesignated Preferred Stock. The  Board
of  Directors will have the authority  to issue the undesignated Preferred Stock
in one or more series  and to determine the  powers, preferences and rights  and
the  qualifications, limitations or restrictions granted  to or imposed upon any
wholly unissued  series  of  undesignated  Preferred  Stock  including  dividend
rights,  dividend rates, conversion  rights, voting rights,  terms of redemption
prices, liquidation preferences, and  to fix the  number of shares  constituting
any  series and  the designation  of such  series, without  any further  vote or
action by the shareholders. The issuance of Preferred Stock may have the  effect
of  delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of the Company without
further action by the shareholders and may adversely affect the voting and other
rights of the  holders of  Common Stock. The  issuance of  Preferred Stock  with
voting  and  conversion rights  may  adversely affect  the  voting power  of the
holders of Common  Stock, including  the loss of  voting control  to others.  At
present, the Company has no plans to issue any shares of Preferred Stock.
 
REGISTRATION RIGHTS OF CERTAIN HOLDERS
 
    After  this offering,  the holders  of 8,842,879  shares of  Common Stock or
their  transferees  are  entitled  to   certain  rights  with  respect  to   the
registration  of such shares under the Securities Act. These rights are provided
under the  terms  of  an  agreement  between the  Company  and  the  holders  of
Registrable  Securities (as  defined below). The  Common Stock  is issuable upon
conversion of  the outstanding  Preferred Stock  (collectively the  "Registrable
Securities").  Subject to certain limitations in the agreement, the holders of a
majority of  the then  outstanding Registrable  Securities may  require, on  one
occasion  after three months from the effective  date of this Offering, that the
Company use its best efforts to  register the Registrable Securities for  public
resale.  The Company may delay the filing by  up to 90 days for business reasons
(but may  not exercise  this  right of  delay more  than  once in  any  12-month
period). In addition if the Company registers any of its Common Stock either for
its  own account or  for the account  of other security  holders, the holders of
Registrable Securities are entitled to include  their shares of Common Stock  in
the  registration.  A  holder's  right  to  include  shares  in  an underwritten
registration is subject to the ability  of the underwriters to limit the  number
of  shares  included  in this  Offering.  The holders  of  at least  20%  of the
Registrable Securities  may also  require the  Company  up to  twice a  year  to
register  all or a portion of their  Registrable Securities on Form S-3 when use
of  such  form  becomes  available   to  the  Company,  provided,  among   other
limitations,  that  the proposed  aggregate  offering price  of  the Registrable
Securities, net of underwriting discounts and
 
                                       60
<PAGE>
commissions, is at least $10,000,000. The Company can delay the registrations by
up to 90  days for  business reasons  (but not more  than once  in any  12-month
period).  All  registration expenses,  including the  fees  and expenses  of one
counsel for the selling stockholders but excluding discounts and commissions  on
the selling stockholder shares, are borne by the Company.
 
EFFECT OF CERTAIN CHARTER AND BYLAW PROVISIONS
 
    In  March 1996, the Company's Board of Directors approved certain amendments
to the  Company's Articles  of Incorporation  and Bylaws  (the "Amendments")  to
provide,  among  other things,  that directors  of the  Company will  be elected
without the  application  of  cumulative voting.  Such  provision  shall  become
effective  at the first meeting of  shareholders following the annual meeting of
shareholders when the Company shall have had at least 800 shareholders. See  "--
Common Stock."
 
    The  Amendments  also  provide  that,  after  the  closing  of  the offering
contemplated hereby,  any  action required  or  permitted  to be  taken  by  the
shareholders of the Company may be taken only at a duly called annual or special
meeting  of the  shareholders. The  Bylaws also  establish procedures, including
advance notice procedures with regard to the nomination, other than by or at the
direction of the Board of Directors, of candidates for election as directors.
 
    The foregoing provisions could have the  effect of making it more  difficult
for  a third party to effect a change  in the control of the Board of Directors.
In addition, these provisions could have the effect of making it more  difficult
for  a third party to acquire, or  of discouraging a third party from attempting
to acquire, a majority of the outstanding  voting stock of the Company, and  may
make  more difficult or discourage a takeover of the Company. From time to time,
the Company has had discussions  with third parties regarding various  strategic
relationships,  including the potential sale of the Company although the Company
currently has no commitments  in this regard. The  Company may continue to  have
discussions  regarding potential strategic relationships in the future. However,
there can be no assurance that any such strategic relationship will occur.
 
TRANSFER AGENT AND REGISTRAR
 
    The Transfer Agent and Registrar for the Common Stock is U.S. Stock Transfer
Co. Its telephone number is (818) 502-1404.
 
                                       61
<PAGE>
                        SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE
 
    Prior to this offering, there has been no market for the Common Stock of the
Company. Future  sales of  substantial amounts  of Common  Stock in  the  public
market  could adversely  affect the prevailing  market price from  time to time.
Furthermore, because only a limited number of shares will be available for  sale
shortly   after  this  offering   because  of  certain   contractual  and  legal
restrictions on resale  (as described  below), sales of  substantial amounts  of
Common  Stock in the public market  after the restrictions lapse could adversely
affect the  prevailing market  price and  the ability  of the  Company to  raise
equity capital in the future.
 
    Upon  completion  of  this  offering,  the  Company  will  have  outstanding
12,653,342 shares of Common  Stock, (assuming no  exercise of the  Underwriters'
over-allotment  option or outstanding options under the Stock Plan or Directors'
Plan after March 31, 1996). Of these  shares, the 3,000,000 shares sold in  this
offering will be freely transferable without restriction or further registration
under the Securities Act unless purchased by "affiliates" of the Company as that
term is defined in Rule 144 of the Securities Act (an "Affiliate"), which shares
will  be  subject  to the  resale  limitations  of Rule  144  adopted  under the
Securities Act. The  remaining 9,653,342 shares  outstanding upon completion  of
this  offering and held by existing shareholders will be "restricted securities"
as that term  is defined under  Rule 144 (the  "Restricted Shares").  Restricted
Shares  may be sold in  the public market only if  registered or if they qualify
for an  exemption  from  registration  under  Rules  144,  144(k),  145  or  701
promulgated  under the  Securities Act, which  rules are summarized  below. As a
result of the  contractual restrictions  described below and  the provisions  of
Rules  144, 144(k) and 701, additional shares  will be available for sale in the
public market as follows: (i) no shares will be available for immediate sale  in
the  public  market on  the Effective  Date, (ii)  7,498,171 shares  and 428,538
shares subject to options exercisable within 180 days of the Effective Date will
be eligible for sale  upon expiration of the  lock-up agreements 180 days  after
the  Effective Date,  and (iii) 2,155,171  shares and 704,728  shares subject to
options will be eligible  for sale upon expiration  of their respective  vesting
and two-year holding periods.
 
    Upon  completion of this offering, the holders of 8,842,879 shares of Common
Stock, or their transferees, will be entitled to certain rights with respect  to
the  registration of such  shares under the Securities  Act. See "Description of
Capital Stock --  Registration Rights."  Registration of such  shares under  the
Securities  Act  would result  in such  shares (except  for shares  purchased by
Affiliates) immediately upon the effectiveness of such registration.
 
    All directors and executive officers  and certain other shareholders of  the
Company,  holding  in the  aggregate  9,653,342 of  the  shares of  Common Stock
outstanding prior to  this offering, have  agreed with the  Underwriters not  to
sell or otherwise dispose of any shares of Common Stock for a period of 180 days
after  the  date of  this  Prospectus (the  "Lockup  Period") without  the prior
written consent of Cowen & Company. See "Underwriting." The number of shares  of
Common  Stock available  for sale  in the  public market  is further  limited by
restrictions under the Securities Act.
 
    In general, under Rule 144 as  currently in effect, beginning 90 days  after
the  date of this Prospectus  a person (or persons  whose shares are aggregated)
who has beneficially owned Restricted Shares  for at least two years,  including
persons who may be deemed "affiliates" of the Company, would be entitled to sell
within  any  three-month period  a number  of  shares that  does not  exceed the
greater of one percent of the number of shares of Common Stock then  outstanding
or the average weekly trading volume of the Common Stock as reported through the
Nasdaq  National Market during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a
Form 144 with respect  to such sale.  Sales under Rule 144  are also subject  to
certain   manner  of  sale  provisions  and   notice  requirements  and  to  the
availability of current  public information  about the Company.  In addition,  a
person  who is not deemed to  have been an affiliate of  the Company at any time
during the 90 days preceding a sale, and who has beneficially owned for at least
three years the Restricted Shares proposed to be sold, would be entitled to sell
such shares under Rule 144(k) without regard to the volume limitation, manner of
sale provisions, public information requirements or notice requirements.
 
                                       62
<PAGE>
    Subject to  certain  limitations  on  the  aggregate  offering  price  of  a
transaction  and certain  other conditions, Rule  701 permits  resales of shares
issued  prior  to  the  date  the  issuer  becomes  subject  to  the   reporting
requirements  of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (the "Exchange
Act"), pursuant to certain compensatory  benefit plans and contracts  commencing
90  days after the issuer  becomes subject to the  reporting requirements of the
Exchange Act, in  reliance upon  Rule 144  but without  compliance with  certain
restrictions,  including the holding period requirements, contained in Rule 144.
In addition, the Securities and Exchange Commission has indicated that Rule  701
will  apply to  typical stock  options granted  by an  issuer before  it becomes
subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, along with the shares
acquired upon exercise of  such options (including exercises  after the date  of
this  Prospectus).  Securities issued  in reliance  on  Rule 701  are restricted
securities  and,  subject  to  the  contractual  restrictions  described  above,
beginning  90 days  after the date  of this  Prospectus, may be  sold by persons
other than Affiliates subject only to the manner of sale provisions of Rule  144
and  by Affiliates under  Rule 144 without compliance  with its two-year minimum
holding period requirements.
 
    The Company has agreed  not to sell  or otherwise dispose  of any shares  of
Common  Stock or any securities convertible  into or exercisable or exchangeable
for Common Stock, or enter into any swap or similar agreement that transfers, in
whole or in  part, the economic  risk of ownership  of the Common  Stock, for  a
period  of 180 days after the date of this Prospectus, without the prior written
consent of Cowen & Company, subject to certain limited exceptions.
 
                                       63
<PAGE>
                                  UNDERWRITING
 
    Subject  to  the terms  and conditions  of  the Underwriting  Agreement, the
Underwriters named below  (the "Underwriters"),  through their  Representatives,
Cowen  &  Company and  UBS  Securities LLC,  have  severally agreed  to purchase
separately from the Company the following respective number of shares of  Common
Stock  at the initial public offering  price less the underwriting discounts and
commissions set forth on the cover page of this Prospectus:
 
   
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                             NUMBER OF SHARES
NAME                                                                          OF COMMON STOCK
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------  -----------------
<S>                                                                          <C>
Cowen & Company............................................................           915,000
UBS Securities LLC.........................................................           915,000
Bear Stearns & Co. Inc.....................................................            62,500
Alex. Brown & Sons Incorporated............................................            62,500
Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities Corporation........................            62,500
Hambrecht & Quist LLC......................................................            62,500
Lazard Freres & Co. LLC....................................................            62,500
Montgomery Securities......................................................            62,500
J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.................................................            62,500
Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated..........................................            62,500
Oppenheimer & Co., Inc.....................................................            62,500
PaineWebber Incorporated...................................................            62,500
Prudential Securities Incorporated.........................................            62,500
Salomon Brothers Inc.......................................................            62,500
Branch, Cabell & Company...................................................            30,000
Crowell, Weedon & Co.......................................................            30,000
First of Michigan Corporation..............................................            30,000
Gerard Klauer Mattison & Co., LLC..........................................            30,000
Interstate/Johnson Lane Corporation........................................            30,000
McDonald & Company Securities, Inc.........................................            30,000
Mesirow Financial, Inc.....................................................            30,000
Pennsylvania Merchant Group Ltd............................................            30,000
Piper Jaffray Inc..........................................................            30,000
Raymond James & Associates, Inc............................................            30,000
The Robinson-Humphrey Company, Inc.........................................            30,000
Scott & Stringfellow, Inc..................................................            30,000
Sutro & Co. Incorporated...................................................            30,000
Vector Securities International, Inc.......................................            30,000
                                                                             -----------------
  Total....................................................................         3,000,000
                                                                             -----------------
                                                                             -----------------
</TABLE>
    
 
    The Underwriting Agreement provides that the obligations of the Underwriters
are subject  to  certain conditions  precedent,  including the  absence  of  any
material  adverse change  in the Company's  business and the  receipt of certain
certificates, opinions  and  letters  from  the  Company  and  its  counsel  and
independent  auditors. The nature  of the Underwriters'  obligation is such that
they are committed to purchase all shares of Common Stock offered hereby if  any
of such shares are purchased.
 
   
    The Underwriters propose to offer the shares of Common Stock directly to the
public  at the initial public offering price set forth on the cover page of this
Prospectus and to certain dealers at such price less a concession not in  excess
of  $0.59 per share. The Underwriters may  allow and such dealers may re-allow a
concession not  in excess  of $0.10  per  share to  certain other  dealers.  The
Underwriters  have informed the Company that they do not intend to confirm sales
to any  accounts over  which they  exercise discretionary  authority. After  the
initial  public offering  of the  shares, the  offering price  and other selling
terms may from time to time be varied by the Underwriters.
    
 
                                       64
<PAGE>
    The Company has granted to the Underwriters an option, exercisable no  later
than  30  days after  the date  of this  Prospectus, to  purchase up  to 450,000
additional shares of Common Stock at the initial public offering price, less the
underwriting discount, set forth on the cover page of this Prospectus, to  cover
over-allotments,  if  any.  If the  Underwriters  exercise  their over-allotment
option, the Underwriters have severally  agreed, subject to certain  conditions,
to  purchase approximately the same percentage thereof that the number of shares
of Common Stock to  be purchased by  each of them shown  in the foregoing  table
bears  to  the  total number  of  shares  of Common  Stock  offered  hereby. The
Underwriters may  exercise such  option only  to cover  over-allotments made  in
connection with the sale of shares of Common Stock offered hereby.
 
    The  Company's  directors, officers  and certain  other shareholders  of the
Company, holding in  the aggregate 9,648,195  the shares of  Common Stock,  have
agreed that they will not, without the prior written consent of Cowen & Company,
offer,  sell or otherwise dispose of any  shares of Common Stock (other than the
shares offered hereby), options, rights or warrants to acquire shares of  Common
Stock, or securities exchangeable for or convertible into shares of Common Stock
owned  by them during the 180-day period commencing on the effective date of the
Registration Statement. In addition,  the Company has agreed  that it will  not,
without  the prior written consent of Cowen  & Company, offer, sell or otherwise
dispose of any shares  of Common Stock, options,  rights or warrants to  acquire
shares  of  Common Stock,  or securities  exchangeable  for or  convertible into
shares of Common  Stock during  such 180-day  period except  in certain  limited
circumstances.
 
    The  Company  has  agreed  to  indemnify  the  Underwriters  against certain
liabilities, including liabilities under the  Securities Act, and to  contribute
to payments the Underwriters may be required to make in respect thereof.
 
   
    Prior to this offering, there was no public market for the Common Stock. The
initial public offering price for the Common Stock was determined by negotiation
among  the  Company and  the Representatives.  Among  the factors  considered in
determining the  initial  public  offering  price  were  prevailing  market  and
economic conditions, the revenues and earnings of the Company, market valuations
of  other companies engaged  in activities similar to  the Company, estimates of
the business potential and  prospects of the Company,  the present state of  the
Company's business operations, the Company's management and other factors deemed
relevant.
    
 
                                 LEGAL MATTERS
 
    The  validity of the Common Stock offered hereby will be passed upon for the
Company by Venture Law Group, A  Professional Corporation, 2800 Sand Hill  Road,
Menlo Park, California 94025. As of the date of this prospectus, certain members
of  Venture Law  Group beneficially  own an  aggregate of  28,733 shares  of the
Company's Common Stock. Tae Hea Nahm, a  director of Venture Law Group, is  also
Secretary of the Company. Certain legal matters in connection with this offering
will  be passed upon for  the Underwriters by Cooley  Godward Castro Huddleson &
Tatum, 3000 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, California 94025.
 
                                    EXPERTS
 
    The audited consolidated financial statements of the Company as of June  30,
1994  and 1995 and March 31, 1996 and for  each of the three years in the period
ended June 30, 1995  and for the  nine months ended March  31, 1996 included  in
this Prospectus, and the related financial statement schedule included elsewhere
in  the Registration  Statement of  which this Prospectus  is a  part, have been
included herein  in  reliance  on  the report  of  Coopers  &  Lybrand,  L.L.P.,
independent  accountants,  given on  the authority  of that  firm as  experts in
accounting and auditing.
 
    The balance sheet as of December  31, 1995 and the statement of  operations,
shareholders'  equity and cash  flows of Adjacent Surgical,  Inc. for the period
from March 13, 1995 (date of inception) to December 31, 1995 have been  included
herein  in  reliance on  the report  of Coopers  & Lybrand,  L.L.P., independent
accountants, given on the  authority of that firm  as experts in accounting  and
auditing.
 
                                       65
<PAGE>
    The  statements  in  this Prospectus  under  the captions  "Risk  Factors --
Reliance on  Patents  and  Proprietary Technology;"  "Business  --  Patents  and
Proprietary Rights," and other references herein to intellectual property of the
Company  have been reviewed and approved by  Lyon & Lyon, patent counsel for the
Company, as experts on  such matters, and are  included herein in reliance  upon
that review and approval.
 
                             ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
 
    The  Company  has filed  with the  Securities  and Exchange  Commission (the
"Commission") a Registration Statement, of  which this Prospectus constitutes  a
part,  under  the Securities  Act with  respect  to the  shares of  Common Stock
offered hereby.  This  Prospectus omits  certain  information contained  in  the
Registration  Statement, and reference is made to the Registration Statement and
the exhibits and schedules thereto for  further information with respect to  the
Company  and  the  Common  Stock  offered  hereby.  Statements  contained herein
concerning the provisions of any documents are not necessarily complete, and  in
each instance reference is made to the copy of such document filed as an exhibit
to  the Registration Statement. Each such statement is qualified in its entirety
by such reference. The Registration Statement, including exhibits and  schedules
filed  therewith,  may  be  inspected without  charge  at  the  public reference
facilities maintained by the Commission at Room 1024, Judiciary Plaza, 450 Fifth
Street, N.W.,  Washington,  D.C.  20549  and at  the  regional  offices  of  the
Commission located at 7 World Trade Center, Suite 1300, New York, New York 10048
and  Citicorp Center,  500 West  Madison Street,  Suite 1400,  Chicago, Illinois
60661. Copies  of such  materials  may be  obtained  from the  Public  Reference
Section  of the Commission, Room 1024,  Judiciary Plaza, 450 Fifth Street, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20549,  and its public  reference facilities in  New York,  New
York and Chicago, Illinois, at prescribed rates.
 
    The Company intends to furnish to its shareholders annual reports containing
audited  financial  statements examined  by  independent auditors  and quarterly
reports containing interim unaudited financial  information for the first  three
quarters of each fiscal year.
 
                                       66
<PAGE>
               GENERAL SURGICAL INNOVATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
 
                   INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
                            ------------------------
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                                               PAGE
                                                                                                             ---------
<S>                                                                                                          <C>
GENERAL SURGICAL INNOVATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
Report of Independent Accountants..........................................................................        F-2
 
Consolidated Balance Sheets................................................................................        F-3
 
Consolidated Statements of Operations......................................................................        F-4
 
Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Equity (Deficit)..................................................        F-5
 
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows......................................................................        F-6
 
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.................................................................        F-7
 
<CAPTION>
 
ADJACENT SURGICAL, INC. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
<S>                                                                                                          <C>
 
Report of Independent Accountants..........................................................................       F-17
 
Balance Sheet at December 31, 1995.........................................................................       F-18
 
Statement of Operations for the period from March 13, 1995 (date of inception) to December 31, 1995........       F-19
 
Statement of Shareholders' Deficit for the period from March 13, 1995 (date of inception) to December 31,
 1995......................................................................................................       F-20
 
Statement of Cash Flows for the period from March 13, 1995 (date of inception) to December 31, 1995........       F-21
 
Notes to Financial Statements..............................................................................       F-22
 
GENERAL SURGICAL INNOVATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY PRO FORMA FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
Pro Forma Statement of Operations for the year ended June 30, 1995, (unaudited)............................       F-25
 
Pro Forma Statement of Operations for the nine months ended March 31, 1996, (unaudited)....................       F-26
</TABLE>
 
                                      F-1
<PAGE>
                       REPORT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
 
To the Board of Directors and Shareholders
General Surgical Innovations, Inc. and Subsidiary:
 
    We  have  audited the  accompanying consolidated  balance sheets  of General
Surgical Innovations, Inc.  and Subsidiary  as of June  30, 1994  and 1995,  and
March   31,  1996,  and  the  related  consolidated  statements  of  operations,
shareholders' equity (deficit) and cash flows for each of the three years in the
period ended June 30, 1995 and for  the nine months ended March 31, 1996.  These
financial  statements are  the responsibility  of the  Company's management. Our
responsibility is to express an opinion  on these financial statements based  on
our audits.
 
    We  conducted  our audits  in  accordance with  generally  accepted auditing
standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain
reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material
misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence  supporting
the  amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes
assessing the  accounting  principles used  and  significant estimates  made  by
management,  as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.
We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
 
    In our opinion, the financial  statements referred to above present  fairly,
in  all  material  respects,  the  consolidated  financial  position  of General
Surgical Innovations, Inc. and Subsidiary as of June 30, 1994 and 1995 and March
31, 1996, and the consolidated results of their operations and their cash  flows
for  each of the three years in the period  ended June 30, 1995 and for the nine
months ended March 31,  1996, in conformity  with generally accepted  accounting
principles.
 
                                          COOPERS & LYBRAND L.L.P.
 
San Jose, California
April 12, 1996
 
                                      F-2
<PAGE>
               GENERAL SURGICAL INNOVATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
                           CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
 
                                     ASSETS
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                    JUNE 30,
                                                            ------------------------   MARCH 31,
                                                               1994         1995          1996
                                                            -----------  -----------  ------------   PRO FORMA
                                                                                                     (NOTE 14)
                                                                                                     MARCH 31,
                                                                                                        1996
                                                                                                    ------------
                                                                                                    (UNAUDITED)
<S>                                                         <C>          <C>          <C>           <C>
Current assets:
  Cash and cash equivalents...............................  $ 2,301,066  $ 4,540,565  $  3,904,393
  Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful
   accounts of none and $17,000 at June 30, 1994 and 1995,
   respectively, and $12,000 at March 31, 1996............      627,277      256,023       601,032
  Inventories.............................................      221,777      419,565       698,324
  Prepaid expenses and other current assets...............       46,117       83,780       503,724
                                                            -----------  -----------  ------------
      Total current assets................................    3,196,237    5,299,933     5,707,473
Fixed assets, net of depreciation and amortization........      327,023      613,088       718,167
Intangible and other assets, net..........................        2,022      331,780       282,180
                                                            -----------  -----------  ------------
        Total assets......................................  $ 3,525,282  $ 6,244,801  $  6,707,820
                                                            -----------  -----------  ------------
                                                            -----------  -----------  ------------
</TABLE>
 
                                  LIABILITIES
 
<TABLE>
<S>                                                         <C>          <C>          <C>           <C>
Current liabilities:
  Bank line of credit.....................................                            $    500,000
  Accounts payable........................................  $   258,546  $   296,539       849,886
  Accrued liabilities.....................................      273,222      327,474     1,004,171
  Note payable............................................       14,770                    264,438  $     14,438
  Bank borrowings.........................................                    85,714       167,446
  Deferred revenue........................................      133,333      133,333       133,333
                                                            -----------  -----------  ------------  ------------
      Total current liabilities...........................      679,871      843,060     2,919,274     2,669,274
Note payable, less current portion........................       50,356
Bank borrowings, less current portion.....................                   192,857       332,901
Deferred revenue, less current portion....................      233,334      100,000
Other liabilities.........................................                   200,000       200,000
                                                            -----------  -----------  ------------  ------------
        Total liabilities.................................      963,561    1,335,917     3,452,175     3,202,175
                                                            -----------  -----------  ------------  ------------
Commitments (Note 9).
Convertible redeemable preferred stock, $.001 par value:
 Authorized: 6,123,867 shares; issued and outstanding,
 3,745,185 shares at June 30, 1994, 5,461,121 at June 30,
 1995 and 5,833,698 at March 31, 1996 (Liquidation and
 redemption value: $1,495,004, $5,486,001, $6,749,745 and
 $1,874,406 for Series A, Series B, Series C and Series D
 respectively)............................................    6,840,839   13,224,795    15,547,028
                                                            -----------  -----------  ------------
</TABLE>
 
                         SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (DEFICIT)
 
<TABLE>
<S>                                                         <C>          <C>          <C>           <C>
Preferred stock, $.001 par value pro forma: Authorized:
 2,000,000 shares; none issued and outstanding:
Common stock, $.001 par value:
  Authorized: 10,000,000 shares (50,000,000 shares pro
   forma); issued and outstanding: 3,255,153 shares at
   June 30, 1994, 3,490,108 at June 30, 1995 and 3,753,007
   at March 31, 1996 and 9,653,342 at March 31, 1996 pro
   forma..................................................        3,255        3,490         3,753         9,653
Additional paid-in capital................................       89,964      152,885     2,142,307    17,933,435
Notes receivable from shareholders........................      (71,275)    (120,058)     (120,058)     (120,058)
Deferred compensation.....................................                                (530,229)     (530,229)
Accumulated deficit.......................................   (4,301,062)  (8,352,228)  (13,787,156)  (13,787,156)
                                                            -----------  -----------  ------------  ------------
      Total shareholders' equity (deficit)................   (4,279,118)  (8,315,911)  (12,291,383) $  3,505,645
                                                            -----------  -----------  ------------  ------------
                                                                                                    ------------
        Total liabilities and shareholders' equity
         (deficit)........................................  $ 3,525,282  $ 6,244,801  $  6,707,820
                                                            -----------  -----------  ------------
                                                            -----------  -----------  ------------
</TABLE>
 
  The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
                                  statements.
 
                                      F-3
<PAGE>
               GENERAL SURGICAL INNOVATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
 
                     CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                                       NINE MONTHS ENDED
                                                              YEAR ENDED JUNE 30,                          MARCH 31,
                                                 ----------------------------------------------  ------------------------------
                                                      1993            1994            1995                            1996
                                                 --------------  --------------  --------------       1995       --------------
                                                                                                 --------------
                                                                                                  (UNAUDITED)
<S>                                              <C>             <C>             <C>             <C>             <C>
Sales..........................................                  $      788,729  $    2,436,793  $    1,804,991  $    3,421,093
Cost of sales..................................                         599,672       1,262,046         908,258       1,654,207
                                                                 --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------
    Gross profit...............................                         189,057       1,174,747         896,733       1,766,886
                                                                 --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------
Operating expenses:
  Research and development.....................  $      749,888         495,900         975,077         735,013         863,440
  Sales and marketing..........................          41,831       1,531,638       2,858,475       1,965,291       2,578,282
  General and administrative...................         398,661       1,338,210       1,399,852       1,126,607       1,119,696
  Write-off of acquired in-process research and
   development.................................                                                                       2,791,491
                                                 --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------
    Total operating expenses...................       1,190,380       3,365,748       5,233,404       3,826,911       7,352,909
                                                 --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------
      Operating loss...........................      (1,190,380)     (3,176,691)     (4,058,657)     (2,930,178)     (5,586,023)
Interest income................................          21,810          64,016          50,849          17,199          99,767
Interest expense...............................          (3,216)         (7,214)        (28,795)        (12,504)        (20,348)
Other income (expense).........................                             715         (14,563)        (10,596)         71,676
                                                 --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------
        Net loss...............................  $   (1,171,786) $   (3,119,174) $   (4,051,166) $   (2,936,079) $   (5,434,928)
                                                 --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------
                                                 --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------
Net loss per share.............................  $        (0.20) $        (0.49) $        (0.62) $        (0.45) $        (0.83)
                                                 --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------
                                                 --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------
Shares used in computing net loss per share....       5,993,264       6,312,569       6,495,826       6,472,071       6,555,501
                                                 --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------
                                                 --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------
Pro forma net loss per share...................                                  $        (0.40)                 $        (0.53)
                                                                                 --------------                  --------------
                                                                                 --------------                  --------------
Shares used in computing pro forma net loss per
 share (Note 14)...............................                                      10,241,011                      10,300,687
                                                                                 --------------                  --------------
                                                                                 --------------                  --------------
</TABLE>
 
  The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
                                  statements.
 
                                      F-4
<PAGE>
               GENERAL SURGICAL INNOVATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
 
           CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (DEFICIT)
 
                    FOR THE THREE YEARS ENDED JUNE 30, 1995,
                  AND FOR THE NINE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 1996
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                        NOTES
                                                     COMMON STOCK       ADDITIONAL    RECEIVABLE
                                                ----------------------    PAID-IN        FROM        DEFERRED     ACCUMULATED
                                                 SHARES      AMOUNT       CAPITAL    SHAREHOLDERS  COMPENSATION     DEFICIT
                                                ---------  -----------  -----------  ------------  -------------  ------------
<S>                                             <C>        <C>          <C>          <C>           <C>            <C>
Balances, June 30, 1992.......................  2,299,299  $     2,299  $    14,451                               $    (10,102)
  Issuance of common stock to founders for
   cash.......................................    514,769          515        3,235
  Net loss....................................                                                                      (1,171,786)
                                                ---------  -----------  -----------                               ------------
Balances, June 30, 1993.......................  2,814,068        2,814       17,686                                 (1,181,888)
  Issuance of common stock for notes
   receivable.................................    424,570          425       70,850   $  (71,275)
  Exercise of stock options...................     16,515           16        1,428
  Net loss....................................                                                                      (3,119,174)
                                                ---------  -----------  -----------  ------------                 ------------
Balances, June 30, 1994.......................  3,255,153        3,255       89,964      (71,275)                   (4,301,062)
  Issuance of common stock for cash...........     28,209           28        8,192
  Issuance of common stock for notes
   receivable.................................    216,488          217       62,866      (63,083)
  Exercise of stock options...................     39,332           39        6,114
  Repurchase of common stock in exchange for
   note receivable............................    (49,074)         (49)     (14,251)      14,300
  Net loss....................................                                                                      (4,051,166)
                                                ---------  -----------  -----------  ------------                 ------------
Balances, June 30, 1995.......................  3,490,108        3,490      152,885     (120,058)                   (8,352,228)
  Exercise of stock options...................      8,872            9        2,520
  Issuance of common stock....................    254,027          254    1,387,649
  Deferred compensation related to grants of
   stock options..............................                              599,253                 $  (599,253)
  Amortization of deferred compensation.......                                                           69,024
  Net loss....................................                                                                      (5,434,928)
                                                ---------  -----------  -----------  ------------  -------------  ------------
Balances, March 31, 1996......................  3,753,007  $     3,753  $ 2,142,307   $ (120,058)   $  (530,229)  $(13,787,156)
                                                ---------  -----------  -----------  ------------  -------------  ------------
                                                ---------  -----------  -----------  ------------  -------------  ------------
 
<CAPTION>
 
                                                   TOTAL
                                                ------------
<S>                                             <C>
Balances, June 30, 1992.......................  $      6,648
  Issuance of common stock to founders for
   cash.......................................         3,750
  Net loss....................................    (1,171,786)
                                                ------------
Balances, June 30, 1993.......................    (1,161,388)
  Issuance of common stock for notes
   receivable.................................       --
  Exercise of stock options...................         1,444
  Net loss....................................    (3,119,174)
                                                ------------
Balances, June 30, 1994.......................    (4,279,118)
  Issuance of common stock for cash...........         8,220
  Issuance of common stock for notes
   receivable.................................       --
  Exercise of stock options...................         6,153
  Repurchase of common stock in exchange for
   note receivable............................       --
  Net loss....................................    (4,051,166)
                                                ------------
Balances, June 30, 1995.......................    (8,315,911)
  Exercise of stock options...................         2,529
  Issuance of common stock....................     1,387,903
  Deferred compensation related to grants of
   stock options..............................
  Amortization of deferred compensation.......        69,024
  Net loss....................................    (5,434,928)
                                                ------------
Balances, March 31, 1996......................  $(12,291,383)
                                                ------------
                                                ------------
</TABLE>
 
  The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
                                  statements.
 
                                      F-5
<PAGE>
               GENERAL SURGICAL INNOVATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
 
                     CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                                                      NINE MONTHS
                                                                                                                      ENDED MARCH
                                                                                  YEAR ENDED JUNE 30,                     31,
                                                                     ----------------------------------------------  --------------
                                                                          1993            1994            1995
                                                                     --------------  --------------  --------------       1995
                                                                                                                     --------------
                                                                                                                      (UNAUDITED)
<S>                                                                  <C>             <C>             <C>             <C>
Cash flows from operating activities:
  Net loss.........................................................  $   (1,171,786) $   (3,119,174) $   (4,051,166) $   (2,936,079)
  Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating
   activities:
    Amortization of deferred compensation..........................
    Depreciation and amortization..................................          13,312          54,992         186,273          42,016
    Write-off of acquired in-process research and development......
    Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
      Accounts receivable..........................................                        (627,277)        371,254         219,888
      Inventory....................................................                        (221,777)       (197,788)       (127,878)
      Prepaid expenses and other current assets....................         (27,280)        (18,837)        (37,663)        (44,642)
      Intangible and other assets..................................         (15,581)         13,559
      Accounts payable.............................................          70,222         188,324          37,993         122,061
      Accrued liabilities..........................................         101,018         162,102          54,252          70,216
      Deferred revenue.............................................                         366,667        (133,334)        (99,999)
                                                                     --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------
        Net cash used in operating activities......................      (1,030,095)     (3,201,421)     (3,770,179)     (2,754,417)
                                                                     --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------
Cash flows from investing activities:
  Acquisition of fixed assets......................................        (112,521)       (200,886)       (513,037)       (305,969)
  Acquisition of patents...........................................                                         (85,000)        (85,000)
  Disposal of fixed assets.........................................                                           8,696
  Cash received on acquisition of Adjacent Surgical, Inc. (Note
   3)..............................................................
                                                                     --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------
      Net cash used in investing activities........................        (112,521)       (200,886)       (589,341)       (390,969)
                                                                     --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------
Cash flows from financing activities:
  Proceeds from issuance of Series A convertible redeemable
   preferred stock.................................................       1,462,179
  Proceeds from issuance of Series B convertible redeemable
   preferred stock.................................................                       5,378,660
  Proceeds from issuance of Series C convertible redeemable
   preferred stock.................................................                                       6,308,956         750,000
  Proceeds from issuance of Series D convertible redeemable
   preferred stock.................................................
  Proceeds from issuance of common stock...........................           3,750           1,444          14,373           9,541
  Principal payments on note payable...............................          (4,073)        (12,721)         (2,881)
  Proceeds from bank borrowings....................................                                         300,000         300,000
  Principal payments on bank borrowings............................                                         (21,429)
                                                                     --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------
        Net cash provided by financing activities..................       1,461,856       5,367,383       6,599,019       1,059,541
                                                                     --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents...............         319,240       1,965,076       2,239,499      (2,085,845)
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year.......................          16,750         335,990       2,301,066       2,301,066
                                                                     --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period...........................  $      335,990  $    2,301,066  $    4,540,565  $      215,221
                                                                     --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------
                                                                     --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------
Supplementary disclosures of cash flow information:
  Cash paid during the period for:
    Interest.......................................................  $        3,216  $        7,214  $       21,503  $        7,643
    Taxes..........................................................  $        1,600  $          800  $          800  $          800
  Noncash investing and financing activities:
      Issuance of common stock for notes receivable................                  $       71,275  $       63,083
      Repurchase of common stock for note receivable...............                                  $       14,300
      Issuance of preferred stock for technology patent............                                  $       75,000  $       75,000
      Disposals of fixed assets through cancellation of note
       payable.....................................................                                  $       62,245  $       62,245
      Additions to patents and other liabilities...................                                  $      200,000  $      200,000
      Fixed assets acquired through issuance of notes payable......  $       81,920
 
<CAPTION>
                                                                          1996
                                                                     --------------
<S>                                                                  <C>
Cash flows from operating activities:
  Net loss.........................................................  $   (5,434,928)
  Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating
   activities:
    Amortization of deferred compensation..........................          69,024
    Depreciation and amortization..................................         235,179
    Write-off of acquired in-process research and development......       2,791,491
    Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
      Accounts receivable..........................................        (345,009)
      Inventory....................................................        (278,759)
      Prepaid expenses and other current assets....................        (416,544)
      Intangible and other assets..................................
      Accounts payable.............................................         506,742
      Accrued liabilities..........................................         204,446
      Deferred revenue.............................................        (100,000)
                                                                     --------------
        Net cash used in operating activities......................      (2,768,358)
                                                                     --------------
Cash flows from investing activities:
  Acquisition of fixed assets......................................        (261,647)
  Acquisition of patents...........................................
  Disposal of fixed assets.........................................          39,170
  Cash received on acquisition of Adjacent Surgical, Inc. (Note
   3)..............................................................          21,132
                                                                     --------------
      Net cash used in investing activities........................        (201,345)
                                                                     --------------
Cash flows from financing activities:
  Proceeds from issuance of Series A convertible redeemable
   preferred stock.................................................
  Proceeds from issuance of Series B convertible redeemable
   preferred stock.................................................
  Proceeds from issuance of Series C convertible redeemable
   preferred stock.................................................
  Proceeds from issuance of Series D convertible redeemable
   preferred stock.................................................       1,753,796
  Proceeds from issuance of common stock...........................           2,529
  Principal payments on note payable...............................        (144,570)
  Proceeds from bank borrowings....................................         786,061
  Principal payments on bank borrowings............................         (64,285)
                                                                     --------------
        Net cash provided by financing activities..................       2,333,531
                                                                     --------------
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents...............        (636,172)
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year.......................       4,540,565
                                                                     --------------
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period...........................  $    3,904,393
                                                                     --------------
                                                                     --------------
Supplementary disclosures of cash flow information:
  Cash paid during the period for:
    Interest.......................................................  $       24,307
    Taxes..........................................................  $          800
  Noncash investing and financing activities:
      Issuance of common stock for notes receivable................
      Repurchase of common stock for note receivable...............
      Issuance of preferred stock for technology patent............
      Disposals of fixed assets through cancellation of note
       payable.....................................................
      Additions to patents and other liabilities...................
      Fixed assets acquired through issuance of notes payable......
</TABLE>
 
- ------------------------
See Note 3 for other non-cash investing and financing activities.
 
  The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
                                  statements.
 
                                      F-6
<PAGE>
               GENERAL SURGICAL INNOVATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
1.  FORMATION AND BUSINESS OF THE COMPANY:
    General  Surgical Innovations, Inc. (the  Company) was incorporated on April
13, 1992 to engage  in the development, manufacturing  and marketing of  medical
device balloon dissectors which create new working spaces between natural tissue
planes  in  the human  body. Prior  to June  30,  1993, the  Company was  in the
development stage and devoted  substantially all of its  efforts to develop  its
product, raise capital and recruit personnel.
 
    In  the  course of  its development  activities,  the Company  has sustained
operating losses and expects such losses to continue through at least 1996.  The
Company  plans to continue to finance its operations with proceeds from the sale
of capital  stock, such  as  the initial  public  offering contemplated  by  the
prospectus,  of which these  financial statements are a  part, and revenues from
product sales. The Company's ability to continue as a going concern is dependent
upon successful  execution  of  the  planned  financings  and  ultimately,  upon
achieving  profitable  operations. If  the offering  contemplated herein  is not
consummated, the Company will  have to seek other  sources of capital or  adjust
its operating plans.
 
2.  SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES:
 
    INTERIM FINANCIAL INFORMATION (UNAUDITED):
 
    The consolidated financial statements and related notes as of March 31, 1995
and  for the  nine months ended  March 31, 1995  have been prepared  on the same
basis as the  audited financial statements  and, in the  opinion of  management,
include  all  adjustments  consisting  of  only  normal  recurring  adjustments,
necessary for  a  fair  presentation  of  the  financial  position  and  results
operations  in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Results
for the interim period are not necessarily indicative of results to be  expected
for the full fiscal year.
 
    BASIS OF CONSOLIDATION:
 
    The  consolidated financial statements  include the accounts  of the Company
and its  wholly-owned  subsidiary.  All significant  intercompany  accounts  and
transactions have been eliminated.
 
    USE  OF ESTIMATES:   The preparation  of financial  statements in conformity
with generally  accepted  accounting  principles  requires  management  to  make
estimates  and  assumptions  that  affect the  reported  amounts  of  assets and
liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets  and liabilities at the date  of
the  financial  statements and  the reported  amounts  of revenues  and expenses
during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
 
    CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AND AVAILABLE-FOR-SALE SECURITIES:
 
    Investments with an original maturity of 90  days or less as of the date  of
purchase  are considered  cash equivalents. The  Company maintains  its cash and
cash equivalents in accounts with one major financial institution.
 
    The Company  has classified  its investments  as "available-for-sale."  Such
investments  are  recorded at  fair value  and unrealized  gains and  losses, if
material, are  recorded  as  a  separate component  of  equity  until  realized.
Interest  income is recorded  using an effective  interest rate, with associated
premium or discount  amortized to  "investment income." The  cost of  securities
sold is based upon the specific identification method.
 
    INVENTORIES:
 
    Inventories  are  stated at  the lower  of cost  (determined on  a first-in,
first-out basis) or market.
 
                                      F-7
<PAGE>
               GENERAL SURGICAL INNOVATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
2.  SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES: (CONTINUED)
    FIXED ASSETS:
 
    Fixed assets  are  stated  at  cost, net  of  accumulated  depreciation  and
amortization.  Furniture, fixtures, equipment  and tooling are  depreciated on a
straight-line basis over their  estimated useful lives of  three to five  years.
Leasehold  improvements are amortized over the  lesser of their estimated useful
lives or the term of the lease.
 
    REVENUE RECOGNITION:
 
    The Company recognizes product sales upon shipment of product and when title
passes to its customer.
 
    RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT:
 
    Research and development expenses are charged to operations as incurred.
 
    CONCENTRATION OF CREDIT RISK:
 
    The Company maintains its  cash balances in  demand accounts primarily  with
one  financial  institution.  For  its accounts  receivable,  management  of the
Company performs  ongoing  credit evaluations  of  its customers  and  maintains
allowances  for doubtful accounts. At June 30, 1994 and 1995 and March 31, 1996,
one distributor accounted for approximately  71%, 45% and 86%, respectively,  of
accounts receivable.
 
    FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS:
 
    Carrying  amounts of the Company's  financial instruments including cash and
cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued  liabilities
approximate  fair values due  to their short maturities.  Based on the borrowing
rates currently  available to  the Company  for loans  with similar  terms,  the
carrying  values  of the  equipment loan  and line  of credit  approximates fair
values.
 
    INCOME TAXES:   The Company  accounts for  income taxes  under Statement  of
Financial  Accounting Standards (SFAS)  No. 109, "Accounting  for Income Taxes,"
which prescribes the use of the  liability method whereby deferred tax asset  or
liability  account  balances  are calculated  at  the balance  sheet  date using
current tax laws and rates in effect.
 
    RECENT PRONOUNCEMENTS:
 
    In March 1995, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Statement No.
121 (SFAS 121),  "Accounting for  the Impairment  of Long-Lived  Assets and  For
Long-Lived Assets to be Disposed Of," which establishes accounting standards for
the  impairment  of  long-lived  assets,  certain  identifiable  intangibles and
goodwill relates to those assets  which are held and  used or disposed of.  SFAS
121  will be effective for  fiscal years beginning after  December 15, 1995. The
Company does not anticipate that the adoption  of SFAS 121 will have an  adverse
material effect on the Company's results of operations.
 
    During  October  1995,  the  Financial  Accounting  Standards  Board  issued
Statement No. 123 (SFAS 123),  "Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation,"  which
establishes a fair value based method of accounting for stock-based compensation
plans  and requires additional disclosures for  those companies who elect not to
adopt the new method of accounting. While the Company studies the impact of  the
pronouncement,  it continues  to account for  employees stock  options under APB
Opinion No. 25,  "Accounting for  Stock Issued to  Employee." SFAS  123 will  be
effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 1995.
 
    NET LOSS PER SHARE:
 
    The  net  loss per  share,  on a  historical  basis, is  computed  using the
weighted average  number of  shares  of common  stock outstanding  after  giving
retroactive  effect to the  1.37-for-one stock split  for all periods presented.
Common equivalent shares  from stock  options and preferred  stock are  excluded
 
                                      F-8
<PAGE>
               GENERAL SURGICAL INNOVATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
2.  SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES: (CONTINUED)
from  the computation as their effect is anti-dilutive, except that, pursuant to
the Securities and Exchange Commission Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 83,  common
and  common  equivalent shares  issued at  prices  below the  anticipated public
offering price during  the 12  months immediately preceding  the initial  filing
date  have been included in the calculation  as if they were outstanding for all
periods presented (using the treasury  stock method and the anticipated  initial
public offering price).
 
3.  ACQUISITION:
    In  February 1996, the  Company acquired substantially all  of the assets of
Adjacent Surgical, Inc., a development stage enterprise engaged in research  and
development  for vascular  devices. Certain  shareholders of  Adjacent Surgical,
Inc., also  serve  as  Directors  and are  also  shareholders  of  the  Company.
Consideration  paid consisted of the issuance of 254,027 shares of the Company's
common stock and 111,357 shares of the Company's Series C convertible redeemable
preferred stock.
 
    The acquisition was accounted for  using the purchase method of  accounting,
and  accordingly, its  operations have been  included with those  of the Company
since the date  of acquisition. The  fair market value  of the assets  acquired,
liabilities assumed and consideration paid is as follows:
 
<TABLE>
<S>                                                              <C>
Assets acquired:
  Prepaid expenses.............................................  $     3,400
  Fixed assets, net............................................       68,076
  In-process research and development..........................    2,791,491
Liabilities assumed:
  Accounts payable and other liabilities.......................     (518,856)
  Notes payable................................................     (408,903)
Consideration paid:
  Issuance of Series C convertible redeemable preferred
   stock.......................................................     (568,437)
  Issuance of common stock.....................................   (1,387,903)
                                                                 -----------
    Cash received..............................................  $    21,132
                                                                 -----------
                                                                 -----------
</TABLE>
 
    Assuming the acquisition had occurred at both the beginning of the Company's
most  recent fiscal  year ended June  30, 1995  and the nine  month period ended
March 31, 1996, pro forma net loss and  pro forma net loss per share would  have
been  $4,345,588  and  $0.67  per  share and  $6,379,452  and  $0.97  per share,
respectively.
 
4.  FIXED ASSETS:
 
    Fixed assets comprise:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                               JUNE 30,
                                                       ------------------------    MARCH 31,
                                                          1994         1995          1996
                                                       -----------  -----------  -------------
<S>                                                    <C>          <C>          <C>
Equipment............................................  $   132,233  $   356,935  $     545,742
Furniture and fixtures...............................       50,813      193,958        226,476
Tooling..............................................       65,312      239,178        303,074
Leasehold improvements...............................      146,969        7,616         13,372
                                                       -----------  -----------  -------------
                                                           395,327      797,687      1,088,664
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization.......      (68,304)    (184,599)      (370,497)
                                                       -----------  -----------  -------------
                                                       $   327,023  $   613,088  $     718,167
                                                       -----------  -----------  -------------
                                                       -----------  -----------  -------------
</TABLE>
 
                                      F-9
<PAGE>
               GENERAL SURGICAL INNOVATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
5.  INVENTORIES:
    Inventories comprise:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                 JUNE 30,
                                                         ------------------------   MARCH 31,
                                                            1994         1995         1996
                                                         -----------  -----------  -----------
<S>                                                      <C>          <C>          <C>
Raw materials..........................................  $    90,627  $   158,451   $ 452,913
Work in progress.......................................       43,006       81,622     110,001
Finished goods.........................................       88,144      179,492     135,410
                                                         -----------  -----------  -----------
                                                         $   221,777  $   419,565   $ 698,324
                                                         -----------  -----------  -----------
                                                         -----------  -----------  -----------
</TABLE>
 
6.  INTANGIBLE AND OTHER ASSETS:
    Intangible and other assets comprise:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                  JUNE 30,
                                                           ----------------------   MARCH 31,
                                                             1994        1995         1996
                                                           ---------  -----------  -----------
<S>                                                        <C>        <C>          <C>
Patents..................................................             $   360,000   $ 360,000
Other....................................................  $   2,022        1,780       6,180
                                                           ---------  -----------  -----------
                                                               2,022      361,780     366,180
Less accumulated amortization............................                 (30,000)    (84,000)
                                                           ---------  -----------  -----------
                                                           $   2,022  $   331,780   $ 282,180
                                                           ---------  -----------  -----------
                                                           ---------  -----------  -----------
</TABLE>
 
Patents are amortized on a straight line basis over their estimated useful lives
of five years.
 
7.  NOTE PAYABLE:
    In February 1996, the Company issued  two notes payable to two  shareholders
of  Adjacent Surgical, Inc., who  are also shareholders of  the Company, and one
shareholder who  is also  a director  of  the Company,  in connection  with  the
purchase  of Adjacent Surgical, Inc. totaling $264,438. The notes are payable on
August 12, 1996 and accrue interest at  8% per annum. The notes and all  accrued
interest  can be paid  in cash or converted  to Series C  Preferred Stock at the
rate of $3.75 per share. However, in the event the Company has a public offering
of its stock,  the notes  are automatically  converted into  Series C  Preferred
Stock at the then in effect conversion rate.
 
    The  Company issued a five-year note payable to a finance company to finance
leasehold improvements during fiscal year 1993.  The note bore an interest  rate
of  12%, and was payable in monthly  installments. During fiscal year 1995, this
note was cancelled in conjunction  with the relocation of  the Company to a  new
facility.  The note cancellation was  given to the Company as  a result of a new
financing agreement being executed with a finance company by the new occupant of
the Company's old facility. The amount outstanding at June 30, 1994 was $65,126,
and none at June 30, 1995 and March 31, 1996.
 
8.  BANK BORROWINGS:
    On March  25,  1996,  the Company  entered  into  a loan  agreement  with  a
financial  institution which  provides for two  equipment loans  of $300,000 and
$700,000 with interest at the bank's prime rate plus 1.75% (10.00% at March  31,
1996)  and 1.25% (9.50% at March 31,  1996), respectively. The note for $300,000
matures September 30, 1998 and the note  for $700,000 matures on June 30,  2000.
 
                                      F-10
<PAGE>
               GENERAL SURGICAL INNOVATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
8.  BANK BORROWINGS: (CONTINUED)
The  bank borrowings  are collateralized by  substantially all  of the Company's
assets. In addition,  the Company  is required to  maintain certain  restrictive
financial covenants. Future minimum payments under the loans are as follows:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
YEAR ENDING JUNE 30,
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                                                                      <C>
1996...................................................................  $    21,429
1997...................................................................      142,882
1998...................................................................      169,150
1999...................................................................       83,436
2000...................................................................       83,450
                                                                         -----------
                                                                             500,347
Less current portion...................................................     (167,446)
                                                                         -----------
                                                                         $   332,901
                                                                         -----------
                                                                         -----------
</TABLE>
 
    Also  on March 25, 1996, the Company entered into a line of credit agreement
with a bank for  $1,500,000 with interest  at the bank's  prime rate plus  1.00%
(9.25%  at March 31, 1996). The  line of credit is due  on March 24, 1997 and is
collateralized by  substantially all  of the  Company's assets.  The Company  is
subject to certain financial covenants including minimum tangible net worth, and
a  minimum quick ratio.  Total amounts outstanding  under the line  of credit at
March 31, 1996 are $500,000 with $1,000,000 available for future use.
 
9.  COMMITMENTS:
 
    LEASE AGREEMENTS:  The Company  leases its facilities under a  noncancelable
operating  lease that expires on March 31,  1997. The Company is responsible for
certain taxes, maintenance costs and  insurance under the lease. Future  minimum
rental payments under the lease for fiscal year ending June 30,1997 is $409,983.
 
    Rent  expense for the years  ended June 30, 1994 and  1995, and for the nine
months ended March 31, 1996 were $74,573, $333,869 and $340,075, respectively.
 
    OTHER COMMITMENTS:  In 1992, the Company entered into a royalty agreement to
obtain technology which  provides for  royalties of 4%  of the  sales price  for
products  which utilize this  technology. Payments for the  years ended June 30,
1994 and 1995,  and for the  nine months ended  March 31, 1996  were $2,236  and
$79,666 and $88,313, respectively.
 
    Also,  in  1994 in  conjunction with  obtaining  technology for  issuance of
preferred stock, the Company entered into a royalty agreement which provides for
royalties subject to 4% of net  sales through 2001. Minimum royalties under  the
agreement are as follows:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
YEAR ENDING JUNE 30,
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                                                                      <C>
1996 (three months)....................................................
1997...................................................................
1998...................................................................
1999...................................................................  $    50,000
2000...................................................................      150,000
                                                                         -----------
                                                                         $   200,000
                                                                         -----------
                                                                         -----------
</TABLE>
 
                                      F-11
<PAGE>
               GENERAL SURGICAL INNOVATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
10. CONVERTIBLE REDEEMABLE PREFERRED STOCK:
    Under the Company's Articles of Incorporation, the Company's preferred stock
is  issuable in  series and  the Company's Board  of Directors  is authorized to
determine the rights, preferences and terms of each series.
 
    During 1995, the Company amended its Articles of Incorporation to  authorize
the  issuance of  1,710,180 shares  of Series A,  2,093,392 shares  of Series B,
2,059,074 shares of  Series C and  261,221 of  Series D preferred  stock. As  of
March  31, 1996,  the Company had  issued and  outstanding 1,710,167, 2,063,203,
1,799,108 and  261,220 shares  of Series  A, Series  B, Series  C and  Series  D
preferred stock, respectively.
 
    Each  share of  preferred stock  has voting  rights equal  to the  number of
common shares  into  which  it  converts.  Each  share  of  preferred  stock  is
convertible into common stock, subject to antidilution provisions, at the option
of  the holder at any time. Conversion is automatic upon the effective date of a
public offering of common  stock for which the  aggregate proceeds are not  less
than  $10,000,000. At March  31, 1996, 6,123,867 shares  of the Company's common
stock have been reserved for conversion.
 
    The holders of preferred stock are entitled  at any time on or prior to  the
effective  date of a public  offering, with the approval of  at least 50% of the
then outstanding preferred stock to require the Company to redeem all shares  of
Series  A, Series B, Series C and Series D preferred stock then outstanding at a
redemption price of $0.87 per share, $2.66 per share, $3.75 per share and  $7.17
per   share,  respectively.   Preferred  shareholders   are  also   entitled  to
registration rights as  described in  the respective  "Preferred Stock  Purchase
Agreement"  and are entitled to  dividends of $0.09, $0.27,  $0.38 and $0.72 per
share per  annum for  holders of  Series A,  Series B,  Series C  and Series  D,
respectively,  which are  noncumulative and  in preference  to any  common stock
dividends, whenever funds are legally available  and when declared by the  Board
of Directors. As of March 31, 1996, no dividends have been declared.
 
    Series D preferred shareholders have a liquidation preference over all other
shareholders  equal to the  original purchase price per  share plus all declared
and unpaid  dividends.  Series  C  preferred  shareholders  have  a  liquidation
preference  over Series  A and  B preferred  shareholders equal  to the original
purchase price  per share  plus  all declared  and  unpaid dividends.  Series  B
preferred  shareholders have a  liquidation preference over  Series A and common
shareholders equal to the  original purchase price per  share plus all  declared
and  unpaid  dividends.  Series  A  preferred  shareholders  have  a liquidation
preference over common  shareholders equal  to the original  purchase price  per
share  plus all declared and unpaid  dividends. After payment of the liquidation
preference to  the  Series  A,  Series  B,  Series  C  and  Series  D  preferred
shareholders, the remaining assets of the Company will be distributed ratably to
the  common  shareholders.  If  the funds  available  for  distribution  are not
adequate to cover the Series A, Series  B, Series C or Series D preferred  stock
liquidation   preference,  all  funds  available  for  distribution  are  to  be
distributed  ratably  with  first  preference   given  to  Series  D   preferred
shareholders.
 
                                      F-12
<PAGE>
               GENERAL SURGICAL INNOVATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
10. CONVERTIBLE REDEEMABLE PREFERRED STOCK: (CONTINUED)
    Convertible redeemable preferred stock comprise:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                  PREFERRED STOCK
                                                   ----------------------------------------------
                                                    SERIES A    SERIES B    SERIES C    SERIES D      TOTAL
                                                   ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------  -----------
<S>                                                <C>         <C>         <C>         <C>         <C>
Balances, June 30, 1992..........................  $   --      $   --      $   --      $   --      $   --
Issuance of Series A convertible redeemable
 preferred stock for cash, net of issuance
 costs...........................................   1,462,179                                        1,462,179
                                                   ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------  -----------
Balances, June 30, 1993..........................   1,462,179      --          --                    1,462,179
Issuance of Series B convertible redeemable
 preferred stock for cash, net of issuance
 costs...........................................               5,378,660                            5,378,660
                                                   ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------  -----------
Balances, June 30, 1994..........................   1,462,179   5,378,660                            6,840,839
Issuance of Series B convertible redeemable
 preferred stock for technology patent...........                  75,000                               75,000
Issuance of Series C convertible redeemable
 preferred stock for cash, net of issuance
 costs...........................................                           6,308,956                6,308,956
                                                   ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------  -----------
Balances, June 30, 1995..........................   1,462,179   5,453,660   6,308,956               13,224,795
Issuance of Series C convertible redeemable
 preferred stock for the acquisition of Adjacent
 Surgical, Inc., net of issuance costs...........                             568,429                  568,429
Issuance of Series D convertible redeemable
 preferred stock for cash, net of issuance
 costs...........................................                                       1,753,804    1,753,804
                                                   ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------  -----------
Balances, March 31, 1996.........................  $1,462,179  $5,453,660  $6,877,385  $1,753,804  $15,547,028
                                                   ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------  -----------
                                                   ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------  -----------
</TABLE>
 
    Liquidation and redemption values are $1,495,004, $5,486,001, $6,749,745 and
$1,874,406  for Series A, Series B, Series C and Series D redeemable convertible
preferred stock, respectively.
 
11. SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
 
    COMMON STOCK SPLIT:
 
    In March 1996, the Board  of Directors approved a 1.37  to 1 stock split  of
its common stock and preferred stock. All share and per share information in the
accompanying  financial  statements  have  been  restated  to  give  retroactive
recognition to the stock split for all periods presented.
 
    COMMON STOCK:
 
    The Company has issued through March 31, 1996 shares of its common stock  to
the  founders and key employees of  the Company under stock purchase agreements.
Certain stock purchase  agreements (the Agreements)  contain provisions for  the
repurchase  of  common stock  by  the Company  in  the event  of  termination of
employment,  during  the  vesting  period  following  the  date  of  employment.
Generally,  25% of the shares of common stock purchased under the Agreements are
released from the Company's repurchase option at the end of twelve months from a
participant's  hiring  date  with  the  remaining  shares  being  released  from
repurchase ratably over 36 months. At March 31, 1996, 221,530 shares are subject
to  repurchase under the Agreements. Each share of common stock has the right to
one vote. The  holders of common  stock are also  entitled to receive  dividends
whenever  funds  are  legally  available  and  when  declared  by  the  Board of
Directors, subject to the prior rights of holder of all classes of stock at  the
time outstanding having priority rights as to dividends.
 
    In   March  1996,  the  Board  of  Directors  authorized  the  filing  of  a
registration statement with  the Securities and  Exchange Commission  permitting
the Company to sell shares of its common stock to the public and an amendment to
the  Company's Articles of Incorporation, to be effective after the closing date
of the Company's initial  public offering of its  common stock, to increase  the
authorized number of shares of common stock to 50,000,000 shares.
 
                                      F-13
<PAGE>
               GENERAL SURGICAL INNOVATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
11. SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (CONTINUED)
    STOCK OPTION PLANS:
 
    1992 Stock Option Plan
 
    The  Company has an  Incentive Stock Option  Plan (the Plan)  under which an
aggregate of 1,715,895 shares of common stock were reserved for issuance.
 
    Under the Plan, incentive  options may be granted  at prices not lower  than
fair  market value at the date of grant or  110% of the fair market value if the
optionee, immediately prior to the grant, owns stock representing 10% or more of
the voting power or value of all securities. Nonstatutory options may be granted
at prices not  lower than  85% of  fair market  value at  the date  of grant  as
determined  by  the  Board of  Directors.  Options  granted under  the  Plan are
exercisable and vest at  such times and under  such conditions as determined  by
the  Board. The options generally expire from  five years to ten years from date
of grant.
 
    1995 Directors' Stock Option Plan
 
    In November  1995, the  Company adopted  the Directors'  Stock Option  Plan,
under which 164,726 shares of Common Stock have been reserved for issuance under
the  Directors' Plan. The Directors' Plan  will be submitted to the shareholders
for approval  in April  1996. The  Directors'  Plan provides  for the  grant  of
nonstatutory  stock  options  to non-employee  directors  of the  Company  at an
initial option to purchase  27,454 shares of common  stock, which vests  monthly
over  two years,  and beginning  the 1997  annual meeting,  an additional annual
stock option grants to purchase 6,864 shares of common stock.
 
    Information with respect to activity under the Plans is set forth below:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                OUTSTANDING OPTIONS
                                               SHARES                ------------------------------------------
                                              AVAILABLE    OPTIONS    NUMBER OF     PRICE PER       AGGREGATE
                                              FOR GRANT   EXERCISED    SHARES         SHARE           PRICE
                                             -----------  ---------  -----------  --------------  -------------
<S>                                          <C>          <C>        <C>          <C>             <C>
 Shares reserved at adoption...............      617,722
  Options granted..........................     (175,707)                175,707       $.09       $      15,360
                                             -----------             -----------                  -------------
Balances, June 30, 1993....................      442,015                 175,707       $.09              15,360
  Options granted..........................     (240,225)                240,225    $.09-$.29            50,400
  Options exercised........................                  16,515      (16,515)      $.09              (1,444)
  Options terminated.......................       69,279                 (69,279)   $.09-$.29            (8,856)
                                             -----------  ---------  -----------                  -------------
Balances, June 30, 1994....................      271,069     16,515      330,138    $.09-$.29            55,460
  Options granted..........................     (205,221)                205,221    $.29-$.55            67,850
  Options exercised........................                  39,332      (39,332)   $.09-$.29            (6,153)
  Options terminated.......................       64,994                 (64,994)   $.09-$.29           (14,447)
                                             -----------  ---------  -----------                  -------------
Balances, June 30, 1995....................      130,842     55,847      431,033    $.09-$.55           102,710
  Increase in shares reserved..............    1,262,899
  Options granted..........................     (728,293)                728,293    $.55-$7.28        1,238,075
  Options exercised........................                   8,872       (8,872)      $.29              (2,592)
  Options terminated.......................       17,188                 (17,188)      $.29              (5,008)
                                             -----------  ---------  -----------                  -------------
Balances, March 31, 1996...................      682,636     64,719    1,133,266    $.09-$7.28    $   1,333,185
                                             -----------  ---------  -----------                  -------------
                                             -----------  ---------  -----------                  -------------
</TABLE>
 
    At March 31, 1996, options to purchase 203,504 shares were exercisable.
 
    EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN:
 
    In March  1996, the  Board  of Directors  adopted  the 1996  Employee  Stock
Purchase  Plan  (the  ESPP) and  reserved  274,543  shares of  common  stock for
issuance. The purpose of the ESPP is to
 
                                      F-14
<PAGE>
               GENERAL SURGICAL INNOVATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
11. SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (CONTINUED)
provide eligible employees of the Company with a means of acquiring common stock
of the Company  through payroll  deductions. The  purchase price  of such  stock
under  the ESPP cannot be less than 95% of the lower of the fair market value on
the specified purchase date  or the beginning of  the offering period. At  March
31, 1996, no shares had been issued under the ESPP plan.
 
12. SIGNIFICANT CUSTOMERS:
    One  customer of the Company individually accounted  for 68%, 75% and 87% of
revenues for the years ended June 30,  1994 and 1995, and the nine month  period
ended March 31, 1996, respectively.
 
13. INCOME TAXES:
    At  March 31,  1996 the  Company has  federal and  state net  operating loss
carryforwards of $8,400,000  and $3,700,000, respectively,  which expire in  the
years 1998 - 2010.
 
    The  Tax Reform Act of 1986 substantially  changed the rules relative to net
operating loss and tax credit carryforwards in the case of an "ownership change"
of a  corporation.  Due  to  a  change in  ownership,  as  defined,  the  future
utilization of the Company's net operating loss and credit carryforwards will be
subject to certain limitations.
 
    Temporary  differences  and  carryforwards which  gave  rise  to significant
portions of deferred tax assets and liabilities, as adjusted for the adoption of
SFAS 109, are as follows:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                               JUNE 30,
                                                                    ------------------------------
                                                                         1994            1995       MARCH 31, 1996
                                                                    --------------  --------------  --------------
<S>                                                                 <C>             <C>             <C>
Deferred tax assets:
  Net operating loss carryforwards................................  $    1,517,000  $    2,900,000  $    3,072,000
  Capitalized start-up costs......................................           2,000
  Capitalized research expenses...................................          73,000          30,000         143,000
  Research and development credit carryforward....................          90,000          98,000          98,000
  Accrued liabilities and other...................................                         130,000         199,000
  Valuation allowance.............................................      (1,682,000)     (3,158,000)     (3,512,000)
                                                                    --------------  --------------  --------------
                                                                    $     --        $     --        $     --
                                                                    --------------  --------------  --------------
                                                                    --------------  --------------  --------------
</TABLE>
 
    In accordance  with generally  accepted accounting  principles, a  valuation
allowance must be established for a deferred tax asset if it is uncertain that a
tax  benefit  may be  realized from  the asset  in the  future. The  Company has
established a valuation allowance to the extent of its deferred tax assets since
it is not  certain that  a benefit  can be  realized in  the future  due to  the
Company's recurring operating losses.
 
14. PRO FORMA FINANCIAL STATEMENTS INFORMATION:
    The  pro forma  statement of  shareholders' equity as  of March  31, 1996 is
presented on the face of the  balance sheet to reflect the automatic  conversion
of  all the Company's outstanding  preferred stock as of  March 31, 1996 into an
aggregate of 5,833,698  shares of common  stock and notes  payable for  $250,000
which  are convertible into 66,637 shares of common stock in connection with the
acquisition of Adjacent Surgical (Note 7), and to reflect the creation of a  par
value  of $0.001  per share  preferred stock of  which 2,000,000  shares will be
authorized (upon the closing of the offering made thereby).
 
    Pro forma net loss per share has been presented to depict what the net  loss
per  share would have been had the common shares issuable upon the conversion of
the outstanding preferred stock been outstanding during that period.
 
                                      F-15
<PAGE>
               GENERAL SURGICAL INNOVATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
15. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
    The Company entered  into certain  product development  arrangements with  a
sole proprietorship which is owned by a director of the Company. The Company has
paid this sole proprietorship $136,000 and $55,000 in fiscal year 1995 and 1994,
respectively. (See Notes 3 and 7)
 
                                      F-16
<PAGE>
                       REPORT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
 
To the Board of Directors
Adjacent Surgical, Inc.:
 
    We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Adjacent Surgical, Inc. (a
company  in  the development  stage) as  of  December 31,  1995 and  the related
statements of operations, shareholders'  deficit and cash  flows for the  period
from  March 13,  1995 (date  of inception) to  December 31,  1995. The financial
statements are the responsibility of the management of the Company's management.
Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements  based
on our audits.
 
    We  conducted  our audits  in  accordance with  generally  accepted auditing
standards. 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 includes examining on  a test basis, evidence supporting
the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also  includes
assessing  the  accounting principles  used  and significant  estimates  made by
management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement  presentation.
We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
 
    In  our opinion, the financial statements  referred to above present fairly,
in all material respects, the financial  position of Adjacent Surgical, Inc.  (a
company  in the development stage) as of December 31, 1995 and the statements of
operations, shareholders' deficit and cash flows  for the period from March  13,
1995  (date  of inception)  to December  31, 1995  in conformity  with generally
accepted accounting principles.
 
                                          COOPERS & LYBRAND L.L.P.
 
San Jose, California
May 6, 1996
 
                                      F-17
<PAGE>
                            ADJACENT SURGICAL, INC.
                      (A COMPANY IN THE DEVELOPMENT STAGE)
 
                        BALANCE SHEET, DECEMBER 31, 1995
 
<TABLE>
<S>                                                                              <C>
                                           ASSETS
Current assets:
  Cash and cash equivalents....................................................  $    21,132
  Prepaid expenses.............................................................          605
                                                                                 -----------
    Total current assets.......................................................       21,737
Property and equipment, net....................................................       63,410
                                                                                 -----------
    Total assets...............................................................  $    85,147
                                                                                 -----------
                                                                                 -----------
 
                                        LIABILITIES
Current liabilities:
  Notes payable to related parties.............................................  $   250,000
  Notes payable................................................................       25,000
  Accounts payable -- trade....................................................       46,605
  Accounts payable -- related parties..........................................      821,961
  Accrued liabilities..........................................................       28,875
                                                                                 -----------
    Total current liabilities..................................................    1,172,441
                                                                                 -----------
 
                                   SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT
Convertible preferred stock, $.001 par value;
  Authorized: 1,740,000 shares
  Issued and outstanding: none.................................................      --
Common stock, $.001 par value
  Authorized: 3,060,000 shares
  Issued and outstanding: 2,700,000............................................        2,700
Deficit accumulated during the development stage...............................   (1,089,994)
                                                                                 -----------
  Total shareholders' deficit..................................................   (1,087,294)
                                                                                 -----------
    Total liabilities and shareholders' deficit................................  $    85,147
                                                                                 -----------
                                                                                 -----------
</TABLE>
 
   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
 
                                      F-18
<PAGE>
                            ADJACENT SURGICAL, INC.
                      (A COMPANY IN THE DEVELOPMENT STAGE)
 
                            STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                                    FOR THE PERIOD
                                                                                                    FROM MARCH 31,
                                                                                                         1995
                                                                                                       (DATE OF
                                                                                                    INCEPTION) TO
                                                                                                     DECEMBER 31,
                                                                                                         1995
                                                                                                    --------------
<S>                                                                                                 <C>
Costs and expenses:
  Research and development........................................................................   $    801,780
  General and administrative......................................................................        272,748
                                                                                                    --------------
    Operating loss................................................................................     (1,074,528)
Interest and other income (expense), net..........................................................        (15,466)
                                                                                                    --------------
    Net loss......................................................................................   $ (1,089,994)
                                                                                                    --------------
                                                                                                    --------------
</TABLE>
 
   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
 
                                      F-19
<PAGE>
                            ADJACENT SURGICAL, INC.
                      (A COMPANY IN THE DEVELOPMENT STAGE)
 
                       STATEMENT OF SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT
 
                       FOR THE PERIOD FROM MARCH 13, 1995
                    (DATE OF INCEPTION) TO DECEMBER 31, 1995
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                       DEFICIT
                                                                                     ACCUMULATED
                                                                 COMMON STOCK         DURING THE
                                                            ----------------------   DEVELOPMENT
                                                              SHARES      AMOUNT        STAGE           TOTAL
                                                            -----------  ---------  --------------  --------------
<S>                                                         <C>          <C>        <C>             <C>
Issuance of common stock..................................    2,700,000  $   2,700                  $        2,700
Net loss..................................................                          $   (1,089,994)     (1,089,994)
                                                            -----------  ---------  --------------  --------------
Balance, December 31, 1995................................    2,700,000  $   2,700  $   (1,089,994) $   (1,087,294)
                                                            -----------  ---------  --------------  --------------
                                                            -----------  ---------  --------------  --------------
</TABLE>
 
   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
 
                                      F-20
<PAGE>
                            ADJACENT SURGICAL, INC.
                      (A COMPANY IN THE DEVELOPMENT STAGE)
 
                            STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                                    FOR THE PERIOD
                                                                                                    FROM MARCH 31,
                                                                                                         1995
                                                                                                       (DATE OF
                                                                                                    INCEPTION) TO
                                                                                                     DECEMBER 31,
                                                                                                         1995
                                                                                                    --------------
<S>                                                                                                 <C>
Cash flows from operating activities:
  Net loss........................................................................................   $ (1,089,994)
  Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
    Depreciation..................................................................................         12,395
    Change in operating liabilities:
      Prepaid expenses............................................................................           (605)
      Accounts payable -- trade...................................................................         46,605
      Accounts payable -- related parties.........................................................        821,961
      Accrued liabilities.........................................................................         28,875
                                                                                                    --------------
        Net cash used in operating activities.....................................................       (180,763)
                                                                                                    --------------
Cash flows from investing activities:
  Purchases of property and equipment.............................................................        (75,805)
                                                                                                    --------------
        Net cash used in investing activities.....................................................        (75,805)
                                                                                                    --------------
Cash flows from financing activities:
  Proceeds from issuance of common stock..........................................................          2,700
  Proceeds from issuance of notes payable to related party........................................        250,000
  Proceeds from issuance of notes payable.........................................................         25,000
                                                                                                    --------------
        Net cash provided by financing activities.................................................        277,700
                                                                                                    --------------
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents..............................................         21,132
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period....................................................        --
                                                                                                    --------------
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period..........................................................   $     21,132
                                                                                                    --------------
                                                                                                    --------------
</TABLE>
 
   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
 
                                      F-21
<PAGE>
                            ADJACENT SURGICAL, INC.
                      (A COMPANY IN THE DEVELOPMENT STAGE)
 
                         NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
1.  FORMATION AND BUSINESS OF THE COMPANY:
    Adjacent Surgical, Inc. (the Company) designs and develops surgical products
for  vascular devices.  The Company  was incorporated  in March  1994 as Redwood
Interventional, Inc.  and  remained  dormant  until  March  13,  1995  (date  of
inception)  when the name of the Company  was changed to Adjacent Surgical, Inc.
The Company had no activity  during 1994 and in  1995 until the commencement  of
operations in April 1995. Since inception, the Company has devoted substantially
all of its efforts to develop its product, raise capital and recruit personnel.
 
2.  SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES:
 
    USE OF ESTIMATES:
 
    The  preparation  of  financial  statements  in  conformity  with  generally
accepted  accounting  principles  requires  management  to  make  estimates  and
assumptions  that  affect the  reported amounts  of  assets and  liabilities and
disclosure of contingent  assets and liabilities  at the date  of the  financial
statements  and  the  reported  amounts  of  revenues  and  expenses  during the
reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
 
    CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS:
 
    The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with  original
maturities  of  three months  or  less to  be  cash equivalents.  Cash  and cash
equivalents include funds on deposit in a checking account.
 
    PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT:
 
    Property and  equipment  are  stated  at  cost  and  are  depreciated  on  a
straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives of three to five years.
 
    RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT:
 
    Research and development costs are charged to operations as incurred.
 
    CONCENTRATION OF CREDIT RISK:
 
    The  Company's  cash  and  cash equivalents  were  maintained  at  one major
financial institution.
 
    INCOME TAXES:
 
    The  company  accounts  for  income  taxes  under  Statement  of   Financial
Accounting  Standards  (SFAS)  No.  109, "Accounting  for  Income  Taxes," which
prescribes the  use  of the  liability  method  whereby deferred  tax  asset  or
liability  account  balances  are calculated  at  the balance  sheet  date using
current tax laws and rates in effect.
 
    RECENT PRONOUNCEMENTS:
 
    During  March  1995,  the   Financial  Accounting  Standards  Board   issued
Statements  No. 121  (SFAS 121),  "Accounting for  the Impairment  of Long-Lived
Assets and for Long-Lived Assets to Be Disposed Of," which required the  Company
to review for impairment of long-lived assets, certain identifiable intangibles,
and goodwill related to those assets whenever events or changes in circumstances
indicate  that the  carrying amount  of an  asset might  not be  recoverable. In
certain situations, an impairment loss would be recognized. SFAS 121 will become
effective for fiscal years beginning after  December 15, 1995, the Company  does
not  anticipate that  the adoption  of SFAS  121 will  have an  adverse material
effect on the Company's results of operations.
 
    During  October  1995,  the  Financial  Accounting  Standards  Board  issued
Statement  No. 123 (SFAS 123),  "Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation," which
establishes a fair value based method of accounting for stock-based compensation
plans and requires additional disclosures for
 
                                      F-22
<PAGE>
                            ADJACENT SURGICAL, INC.
                      (A COMPANY IN THE DEVELOPMENT STAGE)
 
                   NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
2.  SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES: (CONTINUED)
those companies who elect not to adopt  the new method of accounting. While  the
Company  studies the  impact of the  pronouncement, it continues  to account for
employees stock options under APB Option No. 25, "Accounting for Stock Issued to
Employees." SFAS 123 will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December
15, 1995.
 
3.  PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT:
    Property and equipment at December 31, 1995 comprised:
 
<TABLE>
<S>                                                        <C>
Computer and office equipment............................  $  55,990
Machinery and equipment..................................     19,815
                                                           ---------
                                                              75,805
Less accumulated depreciation............................    (12,395)
                                                           ---------
                                                           $  63,410
                                                           ---------
                                                           ---------
</TABLE>
 
4.  NOTES PAYABLE:
    In May 1995, the  Company entered into three  notes payables. The notes  and
all  accrued interest can be paid in cash or converted to Preferred Stock at the
per share purchase price  of a future investment  by Preferred Stock  investors.
Two  of the notes totaling $250,000 are payable 10 days after written demand for
payment has been  made by the  Payee. One of  the notes for  $25,000 is due  and
payable  on December 31, 1995  unless converted to Preferred  Stock prior to the
maturity date.
 
5.  STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY:
 
    COMMON STOCK:
 
    The Company has issued shares of its common stock to founders of the Company
of which one founder was issued 539,000 share of common stock which are  subject
to a right of repurchase by the Company. Shares of the common stock are released
from  the Company's right of repurchase ratably  over 24 months. At December 31,
1995, 269,500 shares were subject to repurchase.
 
6.  RELATED PARTIES:
    At December  31,  1995,  notes  payable totaling  $250,000  were  issued  to
shareholders of the Company.
 
    Included  in accounts  payable - related  parties is a  payable for $500,260
which represents expenses of the Company which were paid by a shareholder of the
Company. Interest of $8,455 related to this payable was recorded by the Company.
 
    In October 1995, the Company signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by
General Surgical Innovations, Inc. (GSI),  a related enterprise. For the  period
from  the  signing of  the  agreement to  December  31, 1995,  expenses totaling
$321,701 were paid  on behalf of  the Company by  General Surgical  Innovations,
Inc. (GSI). The amount is included in accounts payable - related parties.
 
7.  INCOME TAXES:
    At December 31, 1995 the Company has approximately $1,090,000 in federal and
$1,090,000  in state net  operating loss carryforwards  to reduce future taxable
income. These carryforwards  expire in the  year 2010 for  federal and 2000  for
state, if not utilized.
 
    The  Tax Reform Act of 1986 substantially  changes the rules relative to net
operating loss and tax credit carryforwards in the case of an "ownership change"
of a corporation. Any ownership changes, as defined, may restrict utilization of
carryforwards.
 
                                      F-23
<PAGE>
                            ADJACENT SURGICAL, INC.
                      (A COMPANY IN THE DEVELOPMENT STAGE)
 
                   NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
7.  INCOME TAXES: (CONTINUED)
    Temporary differences  and  carryforwards  which gave  rise  to  significant
portions  of deferred  tax assets  and liabilities at  December 31,  1995 are as
follows:
 
<TABLE>
<S>                                                       <C>
Deferred tax assets:
  Net operating loss carryforwards......................  $ 437,000
  Research and development credit.......................     14,110
                                                          ---------
                                                            451,100
Less valuation allowance................................   (451,100)
                                                          ---------
Net deferred tax assets.................................  $  --
                                                          ---------
                                                          ---------
</TABLE>
 
    The Company  has established  a valuation  allowance to  the extent  of  its
deferred  tax assets since it  is not certain that a  benefit can be realized in
the future.
 
8.  SUBSEQUENT EVENTS.
    In February 1996,  substantially of all  of the assets  of the Company  were
acquired  by GSI  in exchange  for the  issuance of  GSI common  stock, Series A
preferred stock and  the assumption  of outstanding  liabilities. In  connection
with  the acquisition, GSI assumed outstanding liabilities which were payable to
related parties. In addition, a note payable of the Company totaling $25,000 was
converted into Series C convertible redeemable preferred stock of GSI.
 
                                      F-24
<PAGE>
               GENERAL SURGICAL INNOVATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
 
                     PRO FORMA STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS (1)
                        FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1995
                                  (UNAUDITED)
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                   GENERAL
                                                   SURGICAL       ADJACENT
                                                 INNOVATIONS,    SURGICAL,      PRO FORMA
                                                     INC.           INC.       ADJUSTMENTS     CONSOLIDATED
                                                --------------  ------------  --------------  --------------
<S>                                             <C>             <C>           <C>             <C>
Sales.........................................  $    2,436,793                                $    2,436,793
Cost of sales.................................       1,262,046                                     1,262,046
                                                --------------                                --------------
  Gross profit................................       1,174,747                                     1,174,747
Operating expenses............................       5,233,404  $    294,422  $    2,791,491(2)      8,319,317
                                                --------------  ------------  --------------  --------------
  Operating loss..............................      (4,058,657)     (294,422)     (2,791,491)     (7,144,570)
Interest and other income (expense), net......           7,491                                         7,491
                                                --------------  ------------  --------------  --------------
  Net loss....................................  $   (4,051,166) $   (294,422) $   (2,791,491) $   (7,137,079)
                                                --------------  ------------  --------------  --------------
                                                --------------  ------------  --------------  --------------
Net loss per share............................  $        (0.62)                               $        (1.10)
                                                --------------                                --------------
                                                --------------                                --------------
Shares used in per share calculation..........       6,495,826                                     6,495,826
                                                --------------                                --------------
                                                --------------                                --------------
</TABLE>
 
- ------------------------
(1) On  February  12, 1996,  General Surgical  Innovations, Inc.  (GSI) acquired
    Adjacent Surgical,  Inc.  (ASI),  a  private  company  based  in  Cupertino,
    California  for consideration paid of 254,027 shares of GSI Common Stock and
    111,357 shares of GSI  Series C Convertible  Redeemable Preferred Stock  and
    the  assumption  of  accounts  payable  and  notes  payable  liabilities  of
    $927,759. The transaction  was accounted for  as a purchase.  The pro  forma
    statement  of operations for the year ended  June 30, 1995 has been prepared
    assuming that the transaction  took place on March  13, 1995. The pro  forma
    information  is  not necessarily  indicative  of the  financial  position or
    operating  results  that  would  have  occurred  had  the  acquisition  been
    consummated  on those dates for which the acquisition is being given effect,
    nor is it indicative of future operating results or financial position.
 
(2) Amount represents the inclusion  of the write-off  of acquired research  and
    development  incurred in connection with the Company's acquisition of ASI as
    if the transaction  had occurred  on March 13,  1995 (date  of inception  of
    ASI).
 
                                      F-25
<PAGE>
               GENERAL SURGICAL INNOVATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
 
                     PRO FORMA STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS (1)
                    FOR THE NINE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 1996
                                  (UNAUDITED)
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                   GENERAL
                                                   SURGICAL       ADJACENT
                                                 INNOVATIONS,    SURGICAL,      PRO FORMA
                                                     INC.           INC.       ADJUSTMENTS     CONSOLIDATED
                                                --------------  ------------  --------------  --------------
<S>                                             <C>             <C>           <C>             <C>
Sales.........................................  $    3,421,093                                $    3,421,093
Cost of sales.................................       1,654,207                                     1,654,207
                                                --------------                                --------------
  Gross profit................................       1,766,886                                     1,766,886
Operating expenses............................       7,352,909  $    929,058  $   (2,791,491 (2)      5,490,476
                                                --------------  ------------  --------------  --------------
  Operating loss..............................      (5,586,023)     (929,058)      2,791,491      (3,723,590)
Interest and other income (expense), net......         151,095       (15,466)                        135,629
                                                --------------  ------------  --------------  --------------
  Net (loss) income...........................  $   (5,434,928) $   (944,524) $    2,791,491  $   (3,587,961)
                                                --------------  ------------  --------------  --------------
                                                --------------  ------------  --------------  --------------
Net loss per share............................  $        (0.83)                               $        (0.55)
                                                --------------                                --------------
                                                --------------                                --------------
Shares used in per share calculation..........       6,555,501                                     6,555,501
                                                --------------                                --------------
                                                --------------                                --------------
</TABLE>
 
- ------------------------
(1) On  February  12, 1996,  General Surgical  Innovations, Inc.  (GSI) acquired
    Adjacent Surgical,  Inc.  (ASI),  a  private  company  based  in  Cupertino,
    California  for consideration paid of 254,027 shares of GSI Common Stock and
    111,357 shares of GSI  Series C Convertible  Redeemable Preferred Stock  and
    the  assumption  of  accounts  payable  and  notes  payable  liabilities  of
    $927,759. The transaction  was accounted for  as a purchase.  The pro  forma
    statement  of operations for the  nine months ended March  31, 1996 has been
    prepared assuming that the transaction took place on March 13, 1995. The pro
    forma information is not necessarily indicative of the financial position or
    operating  results  that  would  have  occurred  had  the  acquisition  been
    consummated  on those dates for which the acquisition is being given effect,
    nor is it indicative of future operating results or financial position.
 
(2) Amount represents the  reversal of  the write-off of  acquired research  and
    development  incurred in connection with the Company's acquisition of ASI as
    if the transaction  had occurred  on March 13,  1995 (date  of inception  of
    ASI).
 
                                      F-26
<PAGE>
(LOGO)
 
           Expanding the possibilites . . .    GENERAL SURGERY
                                         VASCULAR SURGERY
                                         COSMETIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY
                                         UROLOGIC SURGERY
                                         GYNECOLOGICAL SURGERY
                                         ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY
 
             A  picture of the Spacemaker  product, a photograph of
             vascular  surgery,  a  photograph  of   reconstructive
             surgery and a photograph of General Surgery.
 
GSI's Spacemaker balloon dissector system
allows the surgeon to rapidly and relatively
atraumatically create a large operating space
for performing minimally invasive surgery.
 
General Surgery
Pre-peritoneal space created by the Spacemakder balloon dissector
system for laparoscopic repair of a direct inguinal hernia. Photo
shows dissection of the direct hernia sac. Applications in general
surgery, urology, and gynecology include hernia repair and bladder
neck suspension for female stress urinary incontinence.
 
Vascular Surgery
Creation of an operating space within the leg for
a wide variety of vascular procedures. Photo
shows access to an incompetent perforating
vein for venous ulcer disease. Vascular
applications include treament of venous
stasis ulcers, saphenous vein harvest,
and peripheral arterial bypass,
including aortic bypass.
 
Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgery
Subpectoral plane dissection by the Spacemaker balloon dissectors system
for breast augmentation. Photo shows space which has been created for
placement of a breast implant. Applications in the cosmetic and reconstructive
field include; breast augmentation and reconstruction, brow lift,
face lift, abdominoplasty, and tissue flap harvesting.
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    No  dealer, sales representative or other person has been authorized to give
any information or to make any representations in connection with this  offering
other  than those  contained in  this Prospectus,  and, if  given or  made, such
information or representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized
by the Company  or by any  Underwriter. This Prospectus  does not constitute  an
offer  to sell, or a  solicitation of an offer to  buy any securities other than
the registered securities to  which it relates or  an offer to, or  solicitation
of,  any person in any jurisdiction where such an offer or solicitation would be
unlawful. Neither the delivery  of this Prospectus nor  any sale made  hereunder
shall,  under any  circumstances create any  implication that there  has been no
change in  the  affairs  of the  Company  since  the date  hereof  or  that  the
information  contained herein is correct  as of any date  subsequent to the date
hereof.
 
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                               TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
   
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
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<S>                                                    <C>
Prospectus Summary...................................           3
Risk Factors.........................................           6
Use of Proceeds......................................          17
Dividend Policy......................................          17
Capitalization.......................................          18
Dilution.............................................          19
Selected Consolidated Financial Data.................          20
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial
 Condition and Results of Operations.................          21
Business.............................................          28
Management...........................................          51
Certain Transactions.................................          57
Principal Shareholders...............................          58
Description of Capital Stock.........................          60
Shares Eligible for Future Sale......................          62
Underwriting.........................................          64
Legal Matters........................................          65
Experts..............................................          65
Additional Information...............................          66
Index to Consolidated Financial Statements...........         F-1
</TABLE>
    
 
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    Until June 4,  1996 (25 days  after the commencement  of the offering),  all
dealers  effecting  transactions in  the registered  securities, whether  or not
participating in this  distribution, may  be required to  deliver a  Prospectus.
This delivery requirement is in addition to the obligation of dealers to deliver
a  Prospectus  when acting  as  Underwriters and  with  respect to  their unsold
allotments or subscriptions.
    
 
                                3,000,000 Shares
 
                                     [LOGO]
 
                                  Common Stock
 
                               -----------------
 
                                   PROSPECTUS
                            ------------------------
 
                                COWEN & COMPANY
 
                               UBS SECURITIES LLC
 
   
                                  May 10, 1996
    
 
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