BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Principles of Consolidation: The accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of St. Jude Medical, Inc. (St. Jude Medical or the Company) have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (U.S. generally accepted accounting principles) for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, these statements include all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair statement of the Company’s consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash flows. The Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet at January 3, 2015 was derived from audited annual financial statements, but does not contain all of the footnote disclosures from the annual financial statements. Operating results for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year. Preparation of the Company’s financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts in the financial statements and footnotes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with the Company’s consolidated financial statements and footnotes included in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2015.

The unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, and other entities for which St. Jude Medical has a controlling financial interest. The Company operates as a single operating segment and derives its revenues from six principal product categories.

Fiscal Year: We utilize a 52/53-week fiscal year ending on the Saturday nearest December 31st. Each of the three-month periods and nine-month periods ended October 3, 2015 and September 27, 2014 included 13 weeks and 39 weeks, respectively.

Reclassifications: Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to current year presentation.

New Accounting Pronouncements: The following table provides a description of recent accounting pronouncements adopted and those standards not yet adopted with potential for a material impact on the Company's financial statements or disclosures.



Standards not yet adopted
ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)	The standard requires an entity to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The guidance will supersede the current revenue recognition requirements.	See discussion of ASU No. 2015-14 regarding the adoption timing. Either retrospective or modified retrospective application is permitted.	The Company plans to adopt the standard for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The Company is evaluating its approach to the adoption and the potential impact to its results of operations and financial position.

ASU No. 2015-02, Consolidation (Topic 810): Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis	The standard affects both the variable interest entity and voting interest entity consolidation models.	Annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2015, with either retrospective or modified retrospective application permitted. Early adoption is permitted.	The Company is evaluating its approach to the adoption and the potential impact to its results of operations and financial position.

ASU No. 2015-03, Interest-Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs	The standard requires that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts.	Annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2015, with retrospective application required. Early adoption is permitted.	The Company is evaluating the timing of adoption and the potential impact to its financial position.

ASU No. 2015-04, Compensation-Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Practical Expedient for the Measurement Date of an Employer’s Defined Benefit Obligation and Plan Assets	The standard permits entities to measure defined benefit plan assets and obligations using the month-end that is closest to the entity’s fiscal year-end and apply that practical expedient consistently from year to year.	Annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2015, with prospective application required. Early adoption is permitted.	The Company plans to early adopt and elect the accounting policy prospectively by using December 31 when it performs its measurements as of January 2, 2016 and for all fiscal years thereafter. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations or financial position.

ASU No. 2015-05, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other-Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Fees Paid in a Cloud Computing Arrangement	The standard provides guidance to customers about how to account for cloud computing arrangements when such arrangements include software licenses.	Annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2015, with either prospective or retrospective application permitted. Early adoption is permitted.	The Company is evaluating its approach to the adoption and the potential impact to its results of operations and financial position.



ASU No. 2015-11, Inventory (Topic 330): Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory	The standard requires that inventory within the scope of the guidance be measured at the lower of cost or net realizable value.	Annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2016, with prospective application required. Early adoption is permitted.	The Company plans to adopt the standard for annual and interim periods beginning after January 2, 2016 (the Company's first quarter of 2016). The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a material impact on the Company's results of operations or financial position.

ASU No. 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date	The standard defers the effective date of ASU No. 2014-09 to annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted only as of annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016.	Not applicable.	Not applicable.

ASU No. 2015-15, Interest-Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Presentation and Subsequent Measurement of Debt Issuance Costs Associated with Line-of-Credit Arrangements	The standard adds SEC paragraphs pursuant to the SEC Staff Announcement at the June 18, 2015, Emerging Issues Task Force meeting about the presentation and subsequent measurement of debt issuance costs associated with line-of-credit arrangements.	Not applicable.	The Company does not expect this ASU to have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations or financial position.

Description

Required adoption timing and approach

Impact of adoption or other significant matters

Standards recently adopted

Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2015-16, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement-Period Adjustments

The standard changes the manner in which an acquirer recognizes adjustments to provisional amounts that are identified during the measurement period. It also includes certain presentation and disclosure requirements relating to such adjustments.

Annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2015, with prospective application required. Early adoption is permitted.

The Company adopted this ASU in the quarter ended October 3, 2015. Since the Company has not had any measurement period adjustments relating to prior acquisitions during the 2015 fiscal year, the adoption did not have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations or financial position.