Consolidated Statements of Earnings (Unaudited) (USD $) In Millions, except Per Share data	12 Months Ended
Apr. 29, 2011	Apr. 30, 2010	Apr. 24, 2009
Income Statement [Abstract]
Net sales	$ 15,933	$ 15,817	$ 14,599
Costs and expenses:
Cost of products sold	3,912	3,812	3,518
Research and development expense	1,508	1,460	1,355
Selling, general, and administrative expense	5,533	5,415	5,152
Special charges			100
Restructuring charges	261	50	120
Certain litigation charges, net	245	374	714
Acquisition-related items	14	23	621
Other expense, net	459	468	396
Interest expense, net	278	246	183
Total costs and expenses	12,210	11,848	12,159
Earnings before income taxes	3,723	3,969	2,440
Provision for income taxes	627	870	370
Net earnings	$ 3,096	$ 3,099	$ 2,070
Earnings per share:
Basic	$ 2.87	$ 2.80	$ 1.85
Diluted	$ 2.86	$ 2.79	$ 1.84
Weighted average shares outstanding:
Basic	1,077.4	1,106.3	1,121.9
Diluted	1,081.7	1,109.4	1,126.3
Cash dividends declared per common share	$ 0.90	$ 0.82	$ 0.75

Amount related to material litigation reserves and gains recognized in the period in the statement of earnings. Excludes the amount of expense provided in the period for legal fees.

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Net amount of interest expense or income. Interest expense includes the expense associated with the interest paid on outstanding borrowings, including short- and long-term instruments, and the amortization of debt issuance costs and debt discounts. Interest income includes interest earned on cash and cash equivalents, short- and long-term investments, the net realized gains or losses on the sale of available-for-sale securities, and the net realized and unrealized gains or losses on trading securities.

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The following items are included within acquisition-related items: For business combinations prior to FY09, the amount of the purchase price that is allocated to in-process research and development (IPR&D) was expensed in the period acquired. Similarly, for transactions other than a business combination, such as asset acquisitions, IPR&D is expensed in the period acquired. Additionally, the change in the fair value of the contingent milestone consideration for the reporting period and certain-related acquisition costs, such as banker fees, legal fees, severance, and other professional fees.

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Special charges relates to non-recurring charges, for more information see Note 3.

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Total costs of sales and expenses for the period.

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Aggregate dividends declared during the period for each share of common stock outstanding.

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The aggregate costs related to goods produced and sold and services rendered by an entity during the reporting period. This excludes costs incurred during the reporting period related to financial services rendered and other revenue generating activities.

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The amount of net income or loss for the period per each share of common stock outstanding during the reporting period.

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The amount of net income or loss for the period per each share of common stock and dilutive common stock equivalents outstanding during the reporting period.

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Sum of operating profit and nonoperating income (expense) before income (loss) from equity method investments, income taxes, extraordinary items, cumulative effects of changes in accounting principles, and noncontrolling interest.

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The sum of the current income tax expense (benefit) and the deferred income tax expense (benefit) pertaining to continuing operations.

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The portion of consolidated profit or loss for the period, net of income taxes, which is attributable to the parent. If the entity does not present consolidated financial statements, the amount of profit or loss for the period, net of income taxes.

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The aggregate amount of income (expense) from ancillary business-related activities (that is to say, excluding major activities considered part of the normal operations of the business).

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The costs incurred in a planned search or critical investigation aimed at discovery of new knowledge with the hope that such knowledge will be useful in developing a new product or service, a new process or technique, or in bringing about a significant improvement to an existing product or process; or to translate research findings or other knowledge into a plan or design for a new product or process or for a significant improvement to an existing product or process whether intended for sale or the entity's use, during the reporting period charged to research and development projects, excluding in-process research and development acquired in a business combination consummated during the period. Excludes software research and development, which has a separate concept.

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Amount charged against earnings in the period for incurred and estimated costs, excluding asset retirement obligations, associated with exit from or disposal of business activities or restructurings pursuant to a program that is planned and controlled by management, and materially changes either the scope of a business undertaken by an entity, or the manner in which that business is conducted.

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Total revenue from sale of goods and services rendered during the reporting period, in the normal course of business, reduced by sales returns and allowances, and sales discounts.

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The aggregate total costs related to selling a firm's product and services, as well as all other general and administrative expenses. Direct selling expenses (for example, credit, warranty, and advertising) are expenses that can be directly linked to the sale of specific products. Indirect selling expenses are expenses that cannot be directly linked to the sale of specific products, for example telephone expenses, Internet, and postal charges. General and administrative expenses include salaries of non-sales personnel, rent, utilities, communication, etc.

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The average number of shares issued and outstanding that are used in calculating diluted EPS, determined based on the timing of issuance of shares in the period.

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Number of [basic] shares, after adjustment for contingently issuable shares and other shares not deemed outstanding, determined by relating the portion of time within a reporting period that common shares have been outstanding to the total time in that period.

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