POWER OF ATTORNEY


Know all persons by these presents, that I have granted to
Pamela S. Krop, Kashif Rashid, James W. A. Ladner and
Elizabeth Porter, a limited, revocable power of attorney
effective August 1, 2008, for the sole purpose of obtaining
SEC EDGAR access codes and passwords and filing any Form 3,
Form 4,  Form 5 or any other form or report the undersigned
may be required to file under Section 16 of the Securities
Act of 1934, as amended, or any amendment to any such form
or report, on my behalf with the United States Securities
and Exchange Commission in connection with my association
with St. Jude Medical, Inc.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand.



/s/ Stuart Essig
Stuart Essig