Net Earnings Per Share (Details) (USD $) In Millions, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 28, 2013	Sep. 29, 2012	Sep. 28, 2013	Sep. 29, 2012
Net Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Net earnings attributable to St. Jude Medical, Inc.	$ 262	$ 176	$ 600	$ 632
Basic weighted average shares outstanding	287.5	314.7	285.6	314.8
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding	292.0	316.3	288.7	316.4
Basic net earnings per share attributable to St. Jude Medical, Inc.	$ 0.91	$ 0.56	$ 2.10	$ 2.01
Diluted net earnings per share attributable to St. Jude Medical, Inc.	$ 0.90	$ 0.56	$ 2.08	$ 2.00
Common stock subject to stock options and restricted stock units excluded from the diluted net earnings per share computation	2.2	16.1	5.4	16.7
Employee Stock Options [Member]
Net Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Effect of dilutive securities	4.0	1.3	2.8	1.4
Restricted Stock Units [Member]
Net Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Effect of dilutive securities	0.5	0.3	0.3	0.2