Gambro and American Access Care, LLC team up to develop outpatient vascular access centers

11/26/2002 10:56 AM EST

Gambro and American Access Care, LLC team up to develop outpatient
vascular access centers

Stockholm, Sweden, November 26, 2002 Gambro AB (Stockholmsbörsen:
GAMBaST, GAMBbST), a leading international medical technology and
healthcare company, today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary,
Gambro Healthcare, Inc. has entered into an agreement with American
Access Care, LLC, a New York limited liability company, and Philadelphia
Vascular Institute, LLC, a Pennsylvania limited liability company, to
develop interventional radiology centers in the Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey areas. In these centers
interventions will be made by angioplasty to correct stenosis. The first
center, American Access Care of North Philadelphia opened on August 26,
2002.

"We are very excited about incorporating access intervention into the
portfolio of Gambro Healthcare. Proper access care and healthy
maintenance of the dialysis access is important to all ESRD (End Stage
Renal Disease) patients and promotes better patient outcomes while
reducing unnecessary hospitalizations and missed outpatient dialysis
treatments," says Larry C. Buckelew, President and CEO of Gambro
Healthcare U.S. "Gambro Healthcare is proud to be participating in these
American Access Care centers, which are being developed to serve all
patients and providers in the surrounding areas. These new patient
services fit within the strategic direction of Gambro Healthcare, which
is focused on providing value-added services that promote positive
patient outcomes and operating efficiencies."

Vascular access costs consume at least 10% of the overall ESRD Medicare
Budget and three out of the top four ESRD related admissions by
diagnosis code (DRG) are vascular related. According to the NKF-DQOI
guidelines regarding, Management of Vascular Access, "timely
interventions by PTA/Angioplasty to correct stenosis dramatically
decreases the rate of AV graft and AV fistulas thrombosis and loss".

"It's all about reducing clotting incidents and improving morbidity,"
says Raymond D. Figueroa, President and CEO of American Access Care.
"It's convenient to have a place to send patients when they clot, but
our model also reduces the rate of thrombosis and suboptimal treatments.
Suboptimal treatments lower the actual delivered dialysis dose. Some
patients never rebound from the cumulative effects of this scenario."
AAC's clinical model assists the dialysis clinician in effectively
managing the vascular access of their patients."

For further information please contact:
Bengt Modéer, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications,
tel. +46-8-613 65 33, +46-70-513 65 33
Pia Irell, Investor Relations Director, Corporate Finance,
tel. +46-8-613 65 91, +46-70-513 65 91
Kevin Smith, President Gambro Inc., Investor Relations US,
tel. +1-303 231 4750