Contingencies - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Millions				1 Months Ended								3 Months Ended								4 Months Ended	9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended			81 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017 USD ($) LegalMatter Subsidiary Plaintiff Claim Trial Proceeding	Jul. 31, 2014 LegalMatter	Jan. 16, 2014 LegalMatter	Mar. 03, 2017 LegalMatter	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($) LegalMatter	Sep. 30, 2016	Apr. 30, 2015 LegalMatter	Apr. 30, 2014 LegalMatter	Jul. 31, 2013 USD ($)	Jul. 31, 2012 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2007 LegalMatter	Sep. 30, 2017 USD ($) LegalMatter	Jun. 30, 2017 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2017 USD ($) LegalMatter	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2015 USD ($) LegalMatter	Jun. 30, 2015 USD ($) LegalMatter	Mar. 31, 2017 LegalMatter	Sep. 30, 2017 USD ($) LegalMatter	Mar. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($) LegalMatter	Dec. 31, 2015 LegalMatter	Dec. 31, 2014 LegalMatter	Sep. 30, 2017 USD ($) LegalMatter
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Product claims, charges incurred after tax | $												$ 80.0	$ 37.0	$ 7.5	$ 31.0	$ 77.0	$ 31.0	$ 228.0	$ 325.0
Accruals for product liability and other legal matters | $	$ 1,186.0				$ 1,201.5							1,186.0			1,201.5						$ 1,186.0		$ 1,201.5			$ 1,186.0
Payments to qualified settlement fund | $																					112.9					875.3
Payments to qualified claimants from qualified settlement funds | $																					171.8					734.5
Other payments to qualified claimants from qualified settlement funds | $																					11.0					84.3
Minimum
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Proceedings that could be material to the company | Proceeding	1
Cases that could be settled at any time | Claim	1
Accrued Expenses
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Accruals for product liability and other legal matters, accrued expenses | $	$ 557.3				605.3							557.3			605.3						557.3		605.3			557.3
Receivables Related to Product Liability Matters
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Receivables related to product liability matters | $	272.6				267.3							272.6			267.3						272.6		267.3			272.6
Receivables Related to Product Liability Matters | Other Current Assets
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Receivables related to product liability matters , current | $	$ 173.1				$ 156.2							173.1			156.2						$ 173.1		$ 156.2			$ 173.1
Other (income) expense, net
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Product claims, charges incurred before taxes | $												$ 104.0	$ 52.0	$ 7.5	$ 46.0	$ 111.0	$ 49.0	$ 241.0	$ 337.0
Hernia Product Claims
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of individual plaintiffs | Plaintiff	205
Period for additional product claims trials	12 months
Hernia Product Claims | United States
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of putative class actions	1
Hernia Product Claims | Canada
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of putative class actions	5
Number of putative class actions settled								3
Hernia Product Claims | State Law Claims
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of lawsuits	185											185									185					185
Hernia Product Claims | State Law Claims | Superior Court of State of Rhode Island
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of lawsuits	170											170									170					170
Number of individual plaintiffs | Plaintiff	170
Number of multidistrict litigations											1
Hernia Product Claims | Federal Law Claims
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of lawsuits	25											25									25					25
Women's Health Product Claims
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of individual plaintiffs | Plaintiff	3,285
Period for additional product claims trials	12 months
Number of claims in settlement agreement	13,050																				2,120		4,155	6,215	560
Generic complaints | Claim	555
Number of claims not yet filed	785
The number of claims subject to an agreement or an agreement in principle																		3,030	2,880
Women's Health Product Claims | Minimum
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of additional trials | Trial	1
Women's Health Product Claims | United States
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of putative class actions	5
Women's Health Product Claims | Canada
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of putative class actions	5
Women's Health Product Claims | California state case
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
U. S. District Court award for plaintiff's damages | $										$ 3.6
Women's Health Product Claims | Medtronic
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of subsidiaries of a parent company that have an obligation to indemnify | Subsidiary	2
Women's Health Product Claims | Medtronic
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Total payments made for settlement of indemnification obligation | $																						$ 121.0
Women's Health Product Claims | Ontario Superior Court of Justice | Canada
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of putative class actions with class certifications dismissed							1
Class actions settled						In March 2016, the company reached an agreement in principle to resolve all Canadian putative class actions, with the exception of a Quebec class action, within amounts previously recorded by the company, which settlement was finalized in September 2016.
Class actions discontinued														In January 2017, the court approved the discontinuance of the proposed Quebec class action.
Women's Health Product Claims | Multi District Litigation
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
U. S. District Court award for plaintiff's damages | $									$ 2.0
Number of individual case for trial		300	200	125
Cases part of agreements or agreements in principle																					Substantially all of the 500 individual cases that are the subject of the 2014 WHP Pre-Trial Orders have been part of agreements or agreements in principle to settle with various plaintiff law firms.
Number of cases remanded	3				5									11						16
Women's Health Product Claims | Multi District Litigation | Unsettled Cases
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of individual case for trial												2
Filter Product Claims
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of individual plaintiffs | Plaintiff	2,765
Period for additional product claims trials	12 months
Number of claims not yet filed	20
Filter Product Claims | Canada
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of putative class actions	4
Filter Product Claims | Multi District Litigation
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of lawsuits	2,690											2,690									2,690					2,690
Filter Product Claims | State Law Claims
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of lawsuits	70											70									70					70
BD Transaction | New Jersey state case
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of putative class actions	2