SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549


                                    FORM 8-K


                Current Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
                       the Securities Exchange Act of 1934


         Date of Report (date of earliest event reported): July 23, 2003
                         Commission File Number: 1-18592


                           Merit Medical Systems, Inc.
             ------------------------------------------------------
             (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)



             Utah                                             87-0447695
- -------------------------------                          ---------------------
(State or other jurisdiction of                              (IRS Employer
incorporation or organization)                            Identification No.)


        1600 W. Merit Parkway
         South Jordan, Utah                                       84095-2415
- ----------------------------------------                       ---------------
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)                          (Zip Code)


               Registrant's Telephone Number, Including Area Code:
                                 (801) 253-1600


                                       N/A
        (Former name, former address, and formal fiscal year, if changed
                               since last report)










Item 7.  Financial Statements and Exhibits

(c)      Exhibits

99.1 Press Release Issued by Merit Medical  Systems,  Inc., dated July 23, 2003,
titled  "Merit  Medical  Reports  Record  Sales  and  Earnings,  up 20%  and 56%
Respectively, for the Second Quarter Ended June 30, 2003", together with related
Income Statements and Balance Sheets


Item 9. Regulation FD Disclosure (including Item 12 information).

         In  accordance  with  Securities  and Exchange  Commission  Release No.
33-8216, the following information, which is intended to be furnished under Item
12, "Results of Operations and Financial  Condition," is instead being furnished
under this Item 9,  "Regulation FD Disclosure."  This  information  shall not be
deemed  "filed" for  purposes of Section 18 of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of
1934,  as amended (the  "Exchange  Act"),  or  incorporated  by reference in any
filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except
as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.

         On July 23, 2003, Merit Medical Systems, Inc. ("Merit") issued a press
release  announcing  financial  results for the first quarter of 2003.  The full
text of Merit's press  release,  and the related  Income  Statements and Balance
Sheets, are attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.

Forward Looking Statements

         Statements in this Current Report on Form 8-K, including exhibits, that
are not purely historical facts, including statements regarding Merit's beliefs,
expectations,  intentions or strategies for the future, may be  "forward-looking
statements"  under the Private  Securities  Litigation  Reform Act of 1995.  All
forward-looking  statements  involve a number of risks  and  uncertainties  that
could cause actual results to differ  materially from the plans,  intentions and
expectations reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking  statements.  Such
risks and  uncertainties  include,  among others,  market  acceptance of Merit's
products, product introductions,  potential product recalls, delays in obtaining
regulatory  approvals,  cost  increases,  fluctuations  in and  obsolescence  of
inventory,  price and product competition,  availability of labor and materials,
development  of new products and techniques  that could render Merit's  products
obsolete, product liability claims, infringing technology,  inability to protect
Merit's  proprietary  technology,  foreign currency  fluctuations and changes in
health  care  markets  related to health  care  reform  initiatives.  Additional
information with respect to the factors and events that could cause  differences
between  forward-looking  statements  and future results is contained in Merit's
filings with the Securities and Exchange  Commission,  including  Merit's Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended  December 31, 2002.  Merit  undertakes no
obligation  to  update  any  forward-looking  statement  to  reflect  events  or
circumstances that may arise after the date of this filing.

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                                   SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended,  the  registrant  has duly caused this Current Report on Form 8-K to be
signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.


                           MERIT MEDICAL SYSTEMS, INC.

                           By:
                               -------------------------------------------------
                                  Kent W. Stanger, Chief Financial Officer,
                                  Secretary and Treasurer

July 23, 2003



                                      EXHIBIT INDEX

    EXHIBIT                            DESCRIPTION
    NUMBER

     99.1       Press Release Issued by Merit Medical Systems,  Inc., dated July
                23,  2003,  titled  "Merit  Medical  Reports  Record  Sales  and
                Earnings,  up 20% and 56%  Respectively,  for the Second Quarter
                Ended June 30, 2003",  together with related  Income  Statements
                and Balance Sheets
                ----------------------------------------------------------------




                                        3






Exhibit 99.1

                                  MERIT MEDICAL
                1600 West Merit Parkway o South Jordan, UT 84095
                   Telephone: 801-253-1600 o Fax: 801-253-1688

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date:    July 23, 2003
Contact: Kent W. Stanger, Chief Financial Officer
Phone:   (801) 253-1600
E-Mail:  kent@merit.com
Fax:     (801) 253-1688


MERIT MEDICAL  REPORTS RECORD SALES AND EARNINGS,  UP 20% AND 56%  RESPECTIVELY,
FOR THE SECOND QUARTER ENDED JUNE 30, 2003

         SOUTH JORDAN,  UTAH--Merit Medical Systems, Inc.  (NASDAQ:NMS:  MMSI) a
leading  manufacturer  and  marketer of  proprietary  disposable  products  used
primarily in cardiology and radiology procedures, today reported record revenues
for the second quarter ended June 30, 2003 of $34.6 million, compared with $28.8
million  for the same period in 2002,  a gain of 20%.  Net income for the second
quarter  was a record  $4.2  million,  or $0.28 per  share,  compared  with $2.7
million,  or $0.18 per share, in last year's second quarter,  a gain of 56%. The
2003 second quarter net earnings included $.01 per share from a gain on the sale
of land.

         Revenues  for the  six-month  period  ending  June 30,  2003 were $66.3
million,  compared with $57.5  million for the  comparable  six-month  period in
2002, a gain of 15%. Net income for the six-month  period was $8.0  million,  or
$0.53 per  share,  compared  with $5.0  million,  or $0.34 per share in the same
period of 2002, a gain of 58%.

         Gains in  revenues  for the second  quarter of 2003  compared  with the
second quarter of 2002 resulted from across-the-board growth in sales of Merit's
medical devices,  as follows:  Stand-alone  device sales grew by 26%;  inflation
device sales rose 20%;  custom kit sales  increased 18%; and catheter sales rose
by 8%.

         For the  six-month  period ended June 30, 2003  compared  with the same
period in 2002,  stand-alone  device sales grew by 20%;  inflation  device sales
grew by 17%; custom kit sales rose 13%; and catheter sales increased 4%.

         Fred P.  Lampropoulos,  Chairman  and CEO of  Merit,  said,  "We had an
extremely  strong second quarter in terms of both sales and gross profit.  Sales
rose  throughout  the Company's  network of direct  domestic and European  sales
representatives, worldwide distributors and OEM sales to other customers.

         "Sales of many of our  products  are  continuing  to benefit from group
purchasing  contracts  and OEM  product  sales,  as well as  continued  focus on
bundling our innovative  products for our market  segment.  In addition,  strong
individual  product sales such as our inflation  devices,  fluid  management and
inflation  kits,  as well as our  new  guide  wire,  our  One-Step(TM)  centesis
catheter  and  centesis  kit have made  substantive  contributions  to  top-line
growth.

         "Our gross  profit was 43.9% of sales for the second  quarter  compared
with  41.8% in the  second  quarter  of 2002.  Cost of sales  grew by only  16%,
primarily  due to lower labor and overhead  costs per unit,  as we increased our
manufacturing efficiencies. We are working on putting in place the means whereby
we  believe  we can cut  about  an  additional  $2  million  per year out of the
manufacturing  process  beginning  late this year and  ramping  into  2004," Mr.
Lampropoulos continued.


         Selling,  general and administrative expenses for the second quarter of
2003 were 22.1% of sales (a record low percentage), compared with 24.3% of sales
in the previous year's second quarter. Research and development

expenses  during the second  quarter of 2003 were 3.4% of sales,  compared  with
3.3% of sales in the second quarter of 2002. Income from operations was a record
18.4% of sales for the second quarter of 2003, versus 14.3% for the same quarter
last year.

         For the  six-month  period  ended June 30, 2003,  selling,  general and
administrative  expenses were 22.4% of sales,  compared with 23.8% for the first
six months in 2002. Research and development expenses were 3.5% of sales for the
second quarter of 2003, versus 3.3% for the same period of 2002.

         Merit's  effective  tax rate for both the second  quarter and six-month
periods  rose to 36.4% and 36%,  respectively,  compared  with 33.7% and 33% for
both of the 2002 comparable  periods.  The tax-rate increase was a direct result
of increased sales and income, placing Merit in a higher tax bracket, which also
diluted the positive effect from relatively fixed tax benefits.

         Merit's  cash  position  rose to $20.8  million  as of June  30,  2003,
compared  with $9.7  million as of December 31,  2002.  Inventories  declined to
$17.9  million as of June 30, 2003,  compared  with $18.7  million at the end of
2002.



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INCOME STATEMENT 3 Mos. Ended 6/30 6 Mos. Ended 6/30 2003 2002 2003 2002 ---------------------------- ---------------------------- ($ In Thousands Except Per Share Data) Sales $ 34,577 $ 28,789 $ 66,319 $ 57,462 Cost of Sales 19,396 16,756 37,867 34,277 ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ Gross Profit 15,181 12,033 28,452 23,185 OPERATINGEXPENSES: Selling, General and Administrative 7,651 6,984 14,840 13,690 Research and Development 1,178 945 2,295 1,908 ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSES 8,829 7,929 17,135 15,598 OPERATING INCOME 6,352 4,104 11,317 7,587 Other (Income) Expense - Net (76) 26 (144) 86 Litigation Settlement Income 0 0 (475) 0 Gain on Sale of Land (182) 0 (508) 0 ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ TOTAL OTHER (INCOME) EXPENSE - NET (258) 26 (1,127) 86 PRETAX INCOME 6,610 4,078 12,444 7,501 INCOME TAX EXPENSE 2,404 1,376 4,486 2,472 NET INCOME 4,206 2,702 7,958 5,029 EARNINGS PER SHARE: Basic $ 0.30 $ 0.20 $ 0.56 $ 0.37 Diluted $ 0.28 $ 0.18 $ 0.53 $ 0.34 AVERAGE COMMON SHARES: Basic 14,176,049 13,535,651 14,128,797 13,476,275 Diluted 15,028,756 14,750,259 14,982,878 14,631,076
3 BALANCE SHEET 06/30/03 12/31/02 -------- -------- ($ In Thousands) ASSETS Cash $20,803 $ 9,684 Trade Receivables (Net) 17,565 15,248 Inventories 17,903 18,699 Other Current Assets 1,807 2,537 ------- ------- Total Current Assets $58,078 $46,168 Property and Equipment (Net) 27,337 25,412 Other Assets 6,668 6,725 ------- ------- TOTAL ASSETS $92,083 $78,305 ======= ======= LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Total Current Liabilities $15,161 $11,586 Other Liabilities 3,181 3,304 Long-Term Debt 0 17 Stockholders' Equity 73,741 63,398 ------- ------- TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY $92,083 $78,305 ======= ======= CONFERENCE CALL Merit Medical Systems, Inc. invites all interested parties to join its officers in their quarterly earnings conference call to be held today, July 23, 2003, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (4:00 p.m. Central, 3:00 p.m. Mountain, and 2:00 p.m. Pacific). The telephone numbers are: Domestic - 800-218-8862; International - 303-205-0033. ABOUT MERIT Founded in 1987, Merit Medical Systems is a publicly-traded company engaged in the development, manufacture and distribution of proprietary disposable medical products used in interventional and diagnostic procedures, primarily in cardiology and radiology. Merit serves client hospitals worldwide with a domestic and international sales force totaling approximately 74 individuals. Merit employs approximately 1,200 individuals worldwide, with manufacturing facilities in South Jordan and Salt Lake City, Utah; Santa Clara, California; Angleton, Texas; and Galway, Ireland. For more information about Merit, visit www.merit.com. Portions of this release contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact are "forward-looking statements" for purposes of these provisions, including any projections of earnings, revenues, expenses or other financial items, any statement of the plans and objectives of management for future operations, any statements concerning proposed new products or services, any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance, and any statement of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. All forward-looking statements included in this release are made as of the date hereof and are based on information available to Merit as of such date. Merit assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the 4 Merit Medical Reports 20% Rise in Sales and 56% Rise in Net Income for 2Q '03 . .. . July 23, 2003 Page 6 use of terminology such as"may," "will," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "intends," "believes," "estimates," "potential," or "continue," or the negative thereof or other comparable terminology. Although Merit believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations or any of the forward-looking statements will prove to be correct, and actual results may differ materially from those projected or assumed in the forward-looking statements. Future financial conditions and results of operations, as well as any forward-looking statements, are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, market acceptance of Merit's products; product introductions; potential product recalls or product liability claims; delays in obtaining regulatory approvals; cost increases; fluctuations in and obsolescence of inventory; price and product competition; availability of labor, materials, and transportation; development of new products and/or technologies that could render Merit's products obsolete; infringing technology; inability to protect Merit's proprietary technology; foreign currency fluctuations; changes in health care markets related to health care reform initiatives; limited product reimbursement; large portions of revenues derived from a few products and procedures; inability to successfully manage growth; market price volatility Merit's common stock; dependencies on key personnel; and other factors referred to in Merit's press releases and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Merit's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2002. Financial statements are subject to change and are not intended to be relied upon as predictions of future operating results. All subsequent forward-looking statements attributable to Merit or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. ### 5