Business Segments And Other Information (Schedule Of Total Net Revenues By Product Group) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended																12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011		Sep. 25, 2011		Jun. 26, 2011		Mar. 27, 2011		Dec. 31, 2010		Sep. 26, 2010		Jun. 27, 2010		Mar. 28, 2010		Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total net revenues	$ 411,730,000	[1]	$ 371,891,000	[1],[2]	$ 391,286,000	[1],[3]	$ 354,004,000	[1],[3]	$ 386,277,000	[1]	$ 345,041,000	[1],[2]	$ 358,427,000	[1],[3]	$ 343,537,000	[1],[3]	$ 1,528,911,000	$ 1,433,282,000	$ 1,434,885,000
Identifiable assets	3,916,200,000								3,635,200,000								3,916,200,000	3,635,200,000	3,830,100,000
Assets held for sale	7,902,000								7,959,000								7,902,000	7,959,000	8,900,000
Goodwill	1,438,542,000								1,442,411,000								1,438,542,000	1,442,411,000	1,459,441,000
Reporting Segment [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number Of Prior Business Units	6																6
Number Of Current Business Units	10																10
Operating Segment [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number Of Prior Business Units	1																1
Number Of Current Business Units	4																4
Critical Care [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total net revenues																	1,004,126,000	943,368,000	939,322,000
Surgical Care [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total net revenues																	277,440,000	262,684,000	260,635,000
Cardiac Care [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total net revenues																	79,961,000	70,560,000	70,788,000
OEM And Development Services [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total net revenues																	166,331,000	154,205,000	149,830,000
Other [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total net revenues																	1,053,000	2,465,000	14,310,000
Medical [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Percentage of net revenue that are derived from devices that are considered disposable or single-use	90.00%																90.00%
United States [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total net revenues																	799,340,000	785,343,000	791,127,000
United States [Member] | Reporting Segment [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number Of Prior Business Units	1																1
Number Of Current Business Units	5																5
United States [Member] | Medical [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Goodwill	$ 973,200,000																$ 973,200,000

[1] Amounts reflect the retrospective impact of reporting the marine, cargo systems and cargo container businesses as discontinued operations. See Note 18.

[2] During the third quarter of 2010, the Company determined that an out-of-period adjustment associated with tax returns filed and tax audit conclusions was required, which reduced income tax expense by approximately $5.7 million. The Company has determined that this was not material on a quantitative or qualitative basis to the prior period financial statements.

[3] The Company identified $0.1 million and $0.4 million, net of tax, of environmental costs related to discontinued operations that were erroneously reported in continuing operations during the first and second quarters of 2011, respectively, which did not change diluted earnings per share for the first quarter and increased diluted earnings per share by $0.01 for the second quarter. The Company has classified these environmental costs as income from discontinued operations. Management has determined that the impact of this error was not material on a quantitative or qualitative basis to the financial statements for the first and second quarters of fiscal 2011.