Haemonetics Corporation announced that it has extended its exclusive marketing agreement with Augustine Medical International Corporation for another three years. Under the agreement, Haemonetics will continue to market the Bair Hugger surgical patient warming system in Japan. Haemonetics will also market the Ranger blood/fluid warming system in Japan, once the system is regulatory cleared.

Dr. Yutaka Sakurada, chairman and CEO of Haemonetics Japan/Asia, said, "The Bair Hugger and Ranger systems are exciting products that can improve surgical patient outcomes, and we are pleased to continue working with Augustine Medical. The addition of patient warming systems to our patient product line enhances our value to our customers and expands our sales reach beyond the traditional surgical blood salvage products."

Haemonetics estimates that about 600,000 Japanese surgical procedures qualify to use a surgical warming blanket, but last year fewer than 70,000 blankets were sold, proving a large, untapped market for growth.

The Bair Hugger system is a device and single use, disposable blanket that warms a patient before, during, and after surgery so that the patient's body temperature remains stable. Published clinical studies demonstrate that maintaining normal body temperatures during surgery can reduce the incidence of wound infection, bleeding, cardiac events, and mortality.

The Ranger is a system used to warm blood and other fluids transfused during surgery. The system is currently in the Japanese regulatory review cycle with approval expected in 2004.

Haemonetics is a company engaged in the manufacture of automated blood processing systems.