March 31, 2004

FOR: ZOLL Medical Corporation

INVESTOR CONTACT: A. Ernest Whiton
Chief Financial Officer
ZOLL Medical Corporation
(978) 421-9655

PRESS CONTACT: Robert Minicucci
Corporate Communications Manager
ZOLL Medical Corporation
+1 (978) 421-9832
rminicucci@zoll.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ZOLL ANNOUNCES CONTRACT WITH LEADING U.S. HEALTHCARE PURCHASING ALLIANCE PREMIER, INC.

Wednesday, March 31, 2004 – CHELMSFORD, MASS.—ZOLL Medical Corporation (NASDAQ: ZOLL), a manufacturer of non-invasive cardiac resuscitation devices, today announced a three-year, multi-source contract with Premier, Inc., a leading U.S. healthcare alliance that includes more than 200 major hospitals and healthcare systems. This contract authorizes ZOLL’s direct sales force and physician-marketplace distributors to sell ZOLL’s complete line of external defibrillators to Premier’s member organizations. Presently, ZOLL defibrillators are used extensively in the top 30 cardiac hospitals in the United States, as listed by U.S. News and World Report in July 2003.

Premier provides a range of resources that support health services delivery, including group purchasing for more than $17 billion of supplies and equipment annually. As one of the largest group purchasing organizations (GPOs) in the country, Premier’s membership includes more than 1,500 hospitals, and more than 4,000 clinics and surgical centers in the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.

“Our installed base has included individual Premier hospitals for many years. We now have the opportunity to significantly streamline the sales cycle with these existing hospitals, while expanding our strategic sales efforts to a larger base of potential customers,” said Richard A. Packer, President and Chief Executive Officer of ZOLL. “Winning significant contracts such as this validates ZOLL as a market leader in cardiac resuscitation.”

Mr. Packer also said, “This contract helps us further capitalize on the success of ZOLL M Series defibrillators in the hospital market. In addition, the contract allows us to bring our automated external defibrillator, the ZOLL AED Plus, to potential customers who may be looking for a comprehensive device that is designed for infrequent use and can assist lay rescuers in administering defibrillation and CPR. The ZOLL AED Plus is also a viable option that can be used by hospitals and clinics in clinical and non-clinical settings, such as lobbies, cafeterias, and parking lots, in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest event outside of patient units.”

About Premier
Premier, Inc. is a strategic healthcare alliance entirely owned by 200 of the nation's leading hospital and healthcare systems. These systems operate or are affiliated with 1,500 hospital facilities and hundreds of other care sites. Premier provides an array of resources supporting health services delivery, including group purchasing for more than $17 billion annually in supplies and equipment. Other resources offered by Premier are insurance programs and performance improvement services of many kinds. Premier is headquartered in San Diego, California, with other major facilities in Chicago, Illinois; and Charlotte, North Carolina. Advocacy and policy offices are located in Washington, DC. For more information, please visit www.premierinc.com.

About ZOLL Medical Corporation
ZOLL Medical Corporation (NASDAQ: ZOLL), with worldwide headquarters in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, designs, manufactures, and markets resuscitation solutions. These solutions include pacing and defibrillation devices (ZOLL’s M Series™ and AED Plus™, and LIFECOR, Inc.’s LifeVest™ Wearable Defibrillator), circulatory assist devices (Advanced Circulatory Systems, Inc.’s ResQPOD™ Circulatory Enhancer and Revivant Corporation’s AutoPulse™); and a unique fluid resuscitation product called the Power Infuser®, manufactured by Infusion Dynamics, Inc. These devices help health care professionals, emergency medical service providers, and first responders diagnose and treat cardiac arrest wherever it occurs. Through its subsidiary ZOLL Data Systems, ZOLL also designs and markets software that automates the collection and management of both clinical and non-clinical data.

ZOLL has sales operations in Australia, Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, The Netherlands, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and business partners in all of the world’s major markets. For more information, visit www.zoll.com or call 978-421-9655.

Certain statements contained in this press release, including statements regarding the anticipated development of the Company’s business, our ability to differentiate our products from others on the market, and other statements contained herein regarding matters that are not historical facts, are "forward-looking" statements (as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on February 18, 2004.

Copyright © 2004 ZOLL Medical Corporation. All rights reserved. 269 Mill Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824-4105. AED Plus and M Series are trademarks of ZOLL Medical Corporation. The LifeVest System is a trademark of LIFECOR, Inc. The ResQPOD is a trademark of Advanced Circulatory Systems, Inc. The AutoPulse Resuscitation System is a trademark of Revivant Corporation. Power Infuser is a registered trademark of Infusion Dynamics, Inc. ZOLL is a registered trademark of ZOLL Medical Corporation. All trademarks are property of their respective owners.

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March 31, 2004