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): February 20, 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
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(Address of Principal Executive Offices)                          (Zip Code)


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


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









ITEM 11.     TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF TRADING
             UNDER REGISTRANT'S EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS

The Registrant  sent the following  notice on February 27, 2003 to its executive
officers and directors pursuant to Rule 104(b)(2) of Regulation BTR:

                 REQUIRED NOTICE OF SPECIAL TRADING RESTRICTIONS
                      UNDER RULE 104 OF SEC REGULATION BTR

         In connection  with a change in the outside  administration  and record
keeping company for the Merit Medical  Systems,  Inc. 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan
and Trust (the  "Plan"),  the Plan will be entering a "blackout  period"  during
which Plan  participants will not be able to change the investment of their Plan
account balances or take Plan loans or distributions. The Plan's blackout period
is expected to last from March 27, 2003 through  April 18,  2003.  Notice of the
Plan blackout was given to Plan participants on February 20, 2003.

         Applicable  federal  securities  law prohibits  directors and executive
officers of Merit Medical Systems, Inc. from directly or indirectly  purchasing,
selling,  or otherwise  acquiring or  transferring  any shares of Merit  Medical
Systems,  Inc. common stock or other equity securities of Merit Medical Systems,
Inc., including options to acquire common stock and other derivative securities,
during the Plan blackout  period.  This special trading  restriction,  which was
enacted as part of the Sarbanes-Oxley  legislation last year, bars trades within
the Plan as well as trades  outside the Plan and is in addition to the Company's
long-standing  policy  restricting  insider  trading during  quarterly  blackout
periods  associated with the release of earnings data.  Again, the Plan blackout
period,  and thus the period in which you are  prohibited  from trading  Company
shares,  is expected to begin on March 27, 2003 and expected to end on April 18,
2003.

         The special Sarbanes-Oxley trading restriction during the Plan blackout
period is subject  to  certain  exceptions.  For  example,  it does not apply to
certain gifts or forced sales. Nor does it apply to sales of securities that you
can prove through  specific  tracing were acquired other than in connection with
services rendered as an executive employee or director of the Company.  The Plan
blackout period will overlap to a substantial  degree with our regular quarterly
blackout  on insider  trading  (to which the  exceptions  do not  apply).  Those
exceptions generally will be of little utility to you in this particular case.

         If  you  have  any  questions  regarding  possible  exceptions  to  the
Sarbanes-Oxley  trading  restrictions,  the  restriction  itself,  or  the  Plan
blackout period, please contact Rashelle Perry at 1600 West Merit Parkway, South
Jordan, Utah 84095 (telephone number 801-253-1600).

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                                   SIGNATURES


         Pursuant to the  requirements  of the Securities  Exchange of 1934, the
Registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Dated:  February ___, 2003          MERIT MEDICAL SYSTEMS, INC.


                                    By    /s/ Kent W. Stanger
                                      -----------------------------------------
                                              Kent W. Stanger
                                              (Chief Financial Officer
                                              Principal Financial
                                              and Accounting Officer)










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