SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Abstract]

Schedule of Property, Plant and Equipment Estimated Useful Lives

Property, plant and equipment is recorded at historical cost. We provide for depreciation and amortization by charges to operations using the straight-line method in amounts estimated to recover the cost of the building and improvements, equipment, and furniture and fixtures over their estimated useful lives as follows:

Asset Classification	Estimated Useful Lives
Building	30 Years
Building improvements	5-20 Years
Leasehold improvements	5 Years
Plant equipment and machinery	3-10 Years
Office equipment and information technology	3-9 Years
Haemonetics equipment	2-6 Years

Depreciation expense was $38.6 million, $37.0 million, and $35.5 million for fiscal 2012, 2011, and 2010, respectively.

Leasehold improvements are amortized over the lesser of their useful lives or the term of the lease. Maintenance and repairs are expensed to operations as incurred. When equipment and improvements are sold or otherwise disposed of, the asset cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts, and the resulting gain or loss, if any, is included in the statements of income. Fully depreciated assets are removed from the accounts when they are no longer in use.

Our installed base of devices includes devices owned by us and devices sold to the customer. The asset on our balance sheet entitled Haemonetics equipment consists of medical devices installed at customer sites but owned by Haemonetics. Generally the customer has the right to use it for a period of time as long as they meet the conditions we have established, which among other things, generally include one or more of the following:

• Purchase and consumption of a certain level of disposable products

• Payment of monthly rental fees

• An asset utilization performance metric, such as performing a minimum level of procedures per month per device

Consistent with the impairment tests noted for other intangible assets subject to amortization, we review our property, plant, and equipment assets, subject to depreciation, and their related useful lives at least once a year, or more frequently if certain conditions arise, to determine if any adverse conditions exist that would indicate the carrying value of these assets may not be recoverable. To conduct these reviews we estimate the future amount and timing of demand for these devices. Changes in expected demand can result in additional depreciation expense, which is classified as cost of goods sold. Any significant unanticipated changes in demand could impact the value of our devices and our reported operating results. There were no indicators of impairment in either fiscal 2012 or 2011. Expenditures for normal maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred.

Schedule of Other Accrued Liabilities

The significant items included in the fiscal year end balances were:

(In thousands)	March 31, 2012		April 2, 2011
VAT Liabilities	$	6,875	$	11,867
Forward Contracts	1,185		4,174
Deferred Revenue	24,132		21,740
HS Core Liability	3,654		—
All Other	20,989		8,475
Total	$	56,835	$	46,256