Commitments and Contingencies (Details) (USD $)	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		28 Months Ended					1 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2011	Sep. 30, 2011 patents lawsuits matters years plaintiffs claims units charges	Sep. 30, 2009	Mar. 31, 2010	Mar. 31, 2011 years	Dec. 31, 2010	Aug. 30, 2010 claims	Nov. 19, 2007 claims	Dec. 31, 2010 U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Pending individual lawsuits against Guidant		10
Loss Contingencies (Textuals) [Abstract]
Accrual for legal matters that are probable and estimable		$ 269,000,000				$ 588,000,000
Decrease in accrual for litigation related matters			296,000,000						1,000,000
Claims of infringement of Fischell patents		3
Patents allegedly infringed by NIR stents		2
Claims deemed to be infringed		0
Claims deemed not invalid		2
Claim appealed by Cordis		1
patent related to claim appealed by Cordis		1
claims cross appealed by BSC		1
Claims deemed unenforceable for inequitable conduct		2
patents for which the District Court reversed its unenforceable finding		2
Wright and Falotico patents owned by Johnson & Johnson and Cordis		4
Patents allegedly infringed by PROMUS		3
Patents allegedly infringed by VeriFLEX		2
Patents allegedly infringed by ION		2
Initial GI stent patents allegedly infringed (Pulnev and Hankh patents)		3
Additional GI stent patent allegedly infringed (Thompson)		1
Additional Pulnev patents allegedly infringed		6
Total GI stent patents allegedly infringed		10
Patents allegedly infringed by Latitude		2
Pending individual lawsuits against Guidant		10
Pending Product Liability Class Action Lawsuits		10
Maximum payment pursuant to MDL settlement								240,000,000
Maximum number of patient claims covered under MDL settlement agreement								8,550
Actual number of patient claims participating in MDL settlement							8,180
Actual amount paid pursuant to MDL settlement agreement				234,000,000
Additional payments due under MDL settlement		0
product liability class action suits settled		2
matters related to Sanjay Israni shareholder derivative complaint discussed in 2010 Annual Report of Form 10-K		3
plaintiffs filing additional purported securities class actions suits in the same court		4
securities class action suits consolidated		5
Litigation Settlement, Gross			296,000,000						1,000,000
Number of misdemeanor charges Guidant pled guilty to in US DOJ Minnesota matter		2
Litigation Settlement, Expense			294,000,000
Reversal of accrual related to US DOJ Minnesota matter			2,000,000
Years of probation					3
Contribution commitment towards education program	$ 15,000,000
years we committed to contribute to Close the Gap program					3
Derivative lawsuits dismissed		3
Product liability lawsuits dismissed		4
Dismissals the Supreme Court declined to review		2
Dismissals for which review was not sought by the plaintiffs		2
Pending cases related to the ANCURE Endograft System		0
Potential unfiled claims		130
Mirowski patents deemed non-infringed		2
Patents allegedly infringed by vena cava filters		2
additional patents allegedly infringed by vena cava filters		1