Acquisitions and Strategic Investments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions						12 Months Ended
	Aug. 03, 2015	Apr. 02, 2015	Sep. 02, 2014	May. 07, 2014	Nov. 01, 2013	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Apr. 30, 2015	Apr. 13, 2015
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Goodwill, Expected Tax Deductible Amount						$ 453	$ 160	$ 131
Equity Method Investments						173	10
Other Cost and Expense, Operating						123	(85)	4
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired						1,734	486	274
Maximum future contingent consideration for acquisitions completed after January 1, 2009						1,918
Accrued Contingent Consideration						246	274	501
Contingent consideration recognized in the period						63	3
Adjustments to accrued contingent consideration						(1)	(8)
Contingent payment related to business combination						(213)	(137)
Goodwill						6,473	5,898	5,693
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Finite-Lived Intangibles							263
Total							510
Additional Acquisitions (Textuals) [Abstract]
Business Combination, Step Acquisition, Equity Interest in Acquiree, Fair Value							31
Acquisitions (Textuals) [Abstract]
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration Arrangements, Change in Amount of Contingent Consideration, Liability						123	(85)
Payment of contingent consideration						213	137	165
Cost Method Investments						45	27
Notes receivable from portfolio companies						30	17
Equity Method Investment, Difference Between Carrying Amount and Underlying Equity						80
Celenova [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired						70
2013 Acquisitions [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Goodwill								140
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Finite-Lived Intangibles								112
Total								274
Acquisitions (Textuals) [Abstract]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Other Noncurrent Assets								19
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Deferred Tax Assets, Current								(3)
Xlumena [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired		$ 63
Potential payments based on acheiving certain milestones		$ 13
Other 2015 Acquisitions [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired						6
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration, Asset						1
AMS urology portfolio [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired	$ 1,616
Potential payments based on acheiving certain milestones	50
Non-voting Preferred Stock Investment Amount	$ 60
2015 Acquisitions [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired						1,734
Goodwill						573
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Finite-Lived Intangibles						1,073
Indefinite-lived intangible assets						7
Total						1,797
Acquisitions (Textuals) [Abstract]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Other Noncurrent Assets						43
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Inventory						103
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Property, Plant, and Equipment						43
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Deferred Tax Assets, Current						(45)
Contingent consideration recognized in the period						63
Bayer and IoGyn [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired							479
Goodwill							210
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Finite-Lived Intangibles							263
Total							510
Acquisitions (Textuals) [Abstract]
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Inventory							23
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Property, Plant, and Equipment							17
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Current Assets, Prepaid Expense and Other Assets							5
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Net							(1)
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Deferred Tax Assets, Current							(7)
Bayer [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired			$ 414
IoGyn [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired				$ 65
Remaining equity of IoGyn purchased				72.00%
Business Combination, Step Acquisition, Equity Interest in Acquiree, Remeasurement Gain							19
Acquisitions (Textuals) [Abstract]
Minority interest owned of IoGyn				28.00%
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred, Liabilities Incurred				$ 8
2014 acquisitions (excluding Bayer and IoGyn) [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired							7
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration, Asset							4
Bard EP [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Payment to acquire in cash					$ 274
Additional Acquisitions (Textuals) [Abstract]
Payment to acquire in cash					$ 274
2012 Acquisitions [Member]
Acquisitions (Textuals) [Abstract]
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Net						1,080
R&D- and commercialization-based milestones [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair value of contingent consideration						$ (19)
R&D- and commercialization-based milestones [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Additional Acquisitions (Textuals) [Abstract]
Risk-adjusted discount rate for contingent consideration						2.00%
Acquisitions (Textuals) [Abstract]
contingent consideration liability, probability of payment						32.00%
contingent consideration liability, projected year of payment						2017
R&D- and commercialization-based milestones [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Additional Acquisitions (Textuals) [Abstract]
Risk-adjusted discount rate for contingent consideration						3.50%
Acquisitions (Textuals) [Abstract]
contingent consideration liability, probability of payment						95.00%
contingent consideration liability, projected year of payment						2021
Technology-Based Intangible Assets [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Finite-lived Intangible Assets Acquired						$ 431	$ 233
Customer Contracts [Member] | 2013 Acquisitions [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Finite-lived Intangible Assets Acquired								$ 30
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Asset, Weighted Average Useful Life								7 years
Range of Risk Adjusted Discount Rates used in Purchase Price Allocation								11.50%
Technology-related [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Asset, Weighted Average Useful Life						11 years	10 years
Range of Risk Adjusted Discount Rates used in Purchase Price Allocation						13.50%	14.00%
Technology-related [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Asset, Weighted Average Useful Life						13 years	14 years
Range of Risk Adjusted Discount Rates used in Purchase Price Allocation						23.00%	18.00%
Technology-related [Member] | 2013 Acquisitions [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Finite-lived Intangible Assets Acquired								$ 82
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Asset, Weighted Average Useful Life								10 years
Range of Risk Adjusted Discount Rates used in Purchase Price Allocation								11.50%
Customer Relationships [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Finite-lived Intangible Assets Acquired						$ 624	$ 29
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Asset, Weighted Average Useful Life							10 years
Range of Risk Adjusted Discount Rates used in Purchase Price Allocation							18.00%
Customer Relationships [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Asset, Weighted Average Useful Life						12 years
Range of Risk Adjusted Discount Rates used in Purchase Price Allocation						13.50%
Customer Relationships [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Asset, Weighted Average Useful Life						13 years
Range of Risk Adjusted Discount Rates used in Purchase Price Allocation						15.00%
Other Intangible Assets [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Finite-lived Intangible Assets Acquired						$ 18	$ 1
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Asset, Weighted Average Useful Life							2 years
Range of Risk Adjusted Discount Rates used in Purchase Price Allocation							14.00%
Other Intangible Assets [Member] | 2015 Acquisitions [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Asset, Weighted Average Useful Life						13 years
Range of Risk Adjusted Discount Rates used in Purchase Price Allocation						13.50%
Purchased research and development [Member] | 2015 Acquisitions [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Range of Risk Adjusted Discount Rates used in Purchase Price Allocation						17.00%
Purchased research and development [Member] | 2012 Acquisitions [Member]
Acquisitions (Textuals) [Abstract]
In-Process Research and Development Acquired						$ 7
Discounted cash flow [Member] | R&D- and commercialization-based milestones [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Acquisitions (Textuals) [Abstract]
contingent consideration liability, projected year of payment						2016
Discounted cash flow [Member] | revenue-based payments [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair value of contingent consideration						$ (125)
Discounted cash flow [Member] | revenue-based payments [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Additional Acquisitions (Textuals) [Abstract]
Risk-adjusted discount rate for contingent consideration						11.00%
Discounted cash flow [Member] | revenue-based payments [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Additional Acquisitions (Textuals) [Abstract]
Risk-adjusted discount rate for contingent consideration						15.00%
Acquisitions (Textuals) [Abstract]
contingent consideration liability, projected year of payment						2022
Monte Carlo [Member] | R&D- and commercialization-based milestones [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Acquisitions (Textuals) [Abstract]
contingent consideration liability, projected year of payment						2016
Monte Carlo [Member] | revenue-based payments [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair value of contingent consideration						$ (102)
Acquisitions (Textuals) [Abstract]
Revenue Volatility - Contingent Consideration						15.00%
Monte Carlo [Member] | revenue-based payments [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Acquisitions (Textuals) [Abstract]
contingent consideration liability, projected year of payment						2018
Preventis [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage									27.00%
Preventice [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Common Stock Interest Acquired									18.50%
Frankenman [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage										25.00%