Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2016

Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]

Schedule of Intangible Assets and Goodwill [Table Text Block]

	As of December 31, 2016					As of December 31, 2015
	Gross Carrying		Accumulated Amortization/			Gross Carrying		Accumulated Amortization/
(in millions)	Amount		Write-offs			Amount		Write-offs
Amortizable intangible assets
Technology-related	$	9,123	$	(4,468	)	$	8,948	$	(4,054	)
Patents	529		(374		)	520		(358		)
Other intangible assets	1,583		(722		)	1,529		(610		)
	$	11,235	$	(5,564	)	$	10,997	$	(5,022	)
Unamortizable intangible assets
Goodwill	$	16,578	$	(9,900	)	$	16,373	$	(9,900	)
In-process research and development (IPR&D)	92		—			99		—
Technology-related	120		—			120		—
	$	16,790	$	(9,900	)	$	16,592	$	(9,900	)

Schedule of Goodwill [Table Text Block]

The following represents our goodwill balance by global reportable segment:

(in millions)	Cardiovascular		Rhythm Management			MedSurg			Total
Balance as of December 31, 2014	$	3,426	$	290		$	2,182		$	5,898
Purchase price adjustments	2		2			(2		)	2
Goodwill acquired	23		—			550			573
Balance as of December 31, 2015	$	3,451	$	292		$	2,730		$	6,473
Purchase price adjustments	—		(2		)	(1		)	(3		)
Goodwill acquired	62		—			146			208
Balance as of December 31, 2016	$	3,513	$	290		$	2,875		$	6,678

Asset Impairment Charges [Text Block]

The following is a rollforward of accumulated goodwill write-offs by global reportable segment:

(in millions)	Cardiovascular			Rhythm Management			MedSurg			Total
Accumulated write-offs as of December 31, 2014	$	(1,479	)	$	(6,960	)	$	(1,461	)	$	(9,900	)
Goodwill written off	—			—			—			—
Accumulated write-offs as of December 31, 2015	$	(1,479	)	$	(6,960	)	(1,461		)	$	(9,900	)
Goodwill written off	—			—			—			—
Accumulated write-offs as of December 31, 2016	$	(1,479	)	$	(6,960	)	$	(1,461	)	$	(9,900	)

Description of unobservable inputs used in Level 3 fair value measurements [Table Text Block]

The recurring Level 3 fair value measurements of our contingent consideration liabilities include the following significant unobservable inputs:

Contingent Consideration Liability	Fair Value as of December 31, 2016	Valuation Technique	Unobservable Input	Range
R&D and Commercialization-based Milestone	$46 million	Discounted Cash Flow	Discount Rate	2% - 3%
			Projected Year of Payment	2017 - 2021
Revenue-based Payments	$60 million	Discounted Cash Flow	Discount Rate	11% - 15%
			Projected Year of Payment	2017 - 2026
	$98 million	Monte Carlo	Revenue Volatility	25%
			Risk Free Rate	LIBOR Term and Cost of Debt Structure
			Projected Year of Payment	2017 - 2022

The nonrecurring Level 3 fair value measurements of our intangible asset impairment analysis included the following significant unobservable inputs:

Intangible Asset	Valuation Date	Fair Value	Valuation Technique	Unobservable Input	Rate
Technology-related (amortizable)	September 30, 2015	$8 million	Income Approach -Excess Earnings Method	Discount Rate	10%
In-Process R&D	June 30, 2015	$6 million	Income Approach - Excess Earnings Method	Discount Rate	16.5 - 20%
In-Process R&D	September 30, 2014	$16 million	Income Approach - Excess Earnings Method	Discount Rate	16.5 - 20%
In-Process R&D	June 30, 2014	$83 million	Income Approach - Excess Earnings Method	Discount Rate	16.5 - 20%
Technology-related (amortizable)	June 30, 2014	$8 million	Income Approach - Excess Earnings Method	Discount Rate	15%
In-Process R&D	March 31, 2014	$6 million	Income Approach - Excess Earnings Method	Discount Rate	20%
Technology-related (amortizable)	March 31, 2014	$64 million	Income Approach - Excess Earnings Method	Discount Rate	15%

Schedule of Impaired Intangible Assets [Table Text Block]

The intangible asset category and associated write downs recorded in 2016, 2015 and 2014 were as follows:

	Year Ended December 31,
(in millions)	2016		2015		2014
Amortizable intangible assets	$	4	$	9	$	107
In-process research and development	7		10		88
	$	11	19		$	195

Schedule of Expected Amortization Expense [Table Text Block]

	Estimated Amortization Expense
Fiscal Year	(in millions)
2017	$	535
2018	525
2019	523
2020	519
2021	481