8-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): December 6, 2007

ST. JUDE MEDICAL, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Minnesota	0-8672	41-1276891
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

One Lillehei Plaza, St. Paul, MN	55117
(Address of principal executive offices)	(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (651) 483-2000

Not applicable

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 5.02Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

(d)   Effective December 6, 2007, Ms. Barbara B. Hill was appointed to the Board of Directors of St. Jude Medical, Inc. (the “Company”). Ms. Hill is in the class of directors whose term will expire at the Company’s annual shareholder meeting in 2010. She has not yet been appointed to any Board committee. Ms. Hill is President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of ValueOptions, Inc., a privately owned managed behavioral health company. The Board has determined that Ms. Hill is independent under the Company’s Principles of Corporate Governance and bylaws and the NYSE listing standards.

As a non-employee director of the Company, Ms. Hill will receive the compensation described on pages 7-8 of the Company’s proxy statement filed on April 2, 2007, the description of which is incorporated herein by reference. There are no other arrangements or understandings between Ms. Hill and any other persons pursuant to which Ms. Hill was selected as a director.

A copy of the press release announcing the appointment of Ms. Hill is filed as Exhibit 99.1 to this report and is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 9.01Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits:

99.1 Press release regarding appointment of Barbara B. Hill dated December 10, 2007.

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

	ST. JUDE MEDICAL, INC.
Dated:  December 10, 2007	By:	/s/ Pamela S. Krop
	Pamela S. Krop Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.		Description of Exhibit
99.1	Press release regarding appointment of Barbara B. Hill dated December 10, 2007.

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

St. Jude Medical, Inc.

One Lillehei Plaza

St. Paul, Minnesota 55117

(651) 483.2000

www.sjm.com

Contacts:	Angela Craig	Kathleen Janasz
	Investor Relations	Media Relations
	(651) 481-7789	(651) 415-7042

St. Jude Medical Elects Barbara Benton Hill to Board of Directors

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Dec. 10, 2007 – St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE: STJ) today announced the election of Barbara B. Hill to its board of directors, effective immediately. Ms. Hill is currently the chief executive officer and president of ValueOptions, Inc., a privately owned managed behavioral health company, where she also serves as a board member.

Ms. Hill has approximately 30 years of experience within the healthcare industry, including past roles as president of Express Scripts, Inc., a Fortune 200 pharmacy benefits management company where she also served on the board of directors. She also previously served as chief executive officer and chairman of Woodhaven Health Services, a venture capital owned institutional pharmacy.

“We are happy to welcome Barbara B. Hill to our board of directors,” said Daniel J. Starks, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of St. Jude Medical. “We believe that Barbara will be an excellent addition to the board and we look forward to the insights and experiences that she will bring to St. Jude Medical.”

About St. Jude Medical

St. Jude Medical is dedicated to making life better for cardiac, neurological and chronic pain patients worldwide through excellence in medical device technology and services. The Company has five major focus areas that include: cardiac rhythm management, atrial fibrillation, cardiac surgery, cardiology and neuromodulation. Headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., St. Jude Medical employs approximately 12,000 people worldwide. For more information, please visit www.sjm.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements include the expectations, plans and prospects for the Company, including potential clinical successes, anticipated regulatory approvals and future product launches, and projected revenues, margins, earnings, and market shares. The statements made by the Company are based upon management’s current expectations and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include market conditions and other factors beyond the Company’s control and the risk factors and other cautionary statements described in the Company’s filings with the SEC, including those described in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on February 28, 2007 (see pages 13-20) and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed on August 9, 2007 (see pages 28-29) and November 2, 2007 (see pages 23-24). The Company does not intend to update these statements and undertakes no duty to any person to provide any such update under any circumstance.