Condensed Consolidated Statements of Earnings (USD $) In Millions, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
	Jul. 25, 2014	Jul. 26, 2013
Income Statement [Abstract]
Net sales	$ 4,273	$ 4,083
Costs and expenses:
Cost of products sold	1,105	1,022
Research and development expense	365	360
Selling, general, and administrative expense	1,506	1,416
Special Charges	0	40
Restructuring Charges, Net	30	18
Acquisition-related items	41	(96)
Amortization of intangible assets	87	86
Other expense, net	51	44
Interest expense, net	5	40
Total costs and expenses	3,190	2,930
Earnings before income taxes	1,083	1,153
Provision for income taxes	212	200
Net earnings	$ 871	$ 953
Basic earnings per share:
Net earnings (usd per share)	$ 0.88	$ 0.94
Diluted earnings per share:
Net earnings (usd per share)	$ 0.87	$ 0.93
Basic weighted average shares outstanding (shares)	992.6	1,009.7
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding (shares)	1,005.2	1,021.2
Cash dividends declared per common share	$ 0.305	$ 0.28