| **Fair Value Measurements**           | 9 Months Ended                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 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| **Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]** |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  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| Fair Value Measurements               | FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTSThe fair value measurement standard applies to certain financial assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis (each reporting period) and certain financial assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis. The Company also maintains other financial instruments that approximate their fair value due to their short maturities, and include such instruments as its cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, accrued liabilities and current and long-term debt obligations.Assets and Liabilities that are Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring BasisThe Company's financial assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis include money-market securities, available-for-sale marketable securities, trading marketable securities, derivative instruments and contingent consideration liabilities. The Company does not have any material nonfinancial assets or liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis. A summary of the valuation methodologies used for the respective financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis is as follows:Money-market securities: The Company’s money-market securities include funds that are traded in active markets and are recorded at fair value based upon the quoted market prices. The Company classifies these securities as level 1.Available-for-sale securities: The Company’s available-for-sale securities include publicly-traded equity securities that are traded in active markets and are recorded at fair value based upon the closing stock prices. The Company classifies these securities as level 1. The following table summarizes the components of the balance of the Company’s available-for-sale securities at October 1, 2016 and January 2, 2016 (in millions):  October 1, 2016 January 2, 2016Adjusted cost$4 $5Gross unrealized gains5 6Gross unrealized losses— (1)Fair value$9 $10Trading securities: The Company’s trading securities include publicly-traded mutual funds that are traded in active markets and are recorded at fair value based upon quoted market prices of the net asset values of the funds. The Company classifies these securities as level 1.Derivative instruments: Fair values for the Company’s derivative financial instruments are based on quoted market prices of comparable instruments, if available, or more commonly on standard pricing models that use readily observable market parameters from industry standard data providers as their basis. These models reflect contractual terms of the derivatives, including period to maturity and market-based parameters such as foreign currency exchange rates. They do not contain a high level of subjectivity as the techniques used in the models do not require significant judgment and inputs are readily observable from actively quoted markets. The Company classifies these instruments as level 2 (see Note 9).Contingent consideration liabilities: The fair value of the Company's contingent liabilities is initially measured based on the consideration expected to be transferred (probability-weighted), discounted back to present value. The discount rate used is determined at the time of measurement in accordance with accepted valuation methods. The Company measures the liability on a recurring basis using Level 3 inputs including regulatory approval timing, projected revenues or cash flows, growth rates, discount rates, probabilities of payment and projected payment dates. Projected revenues are based on the Company's most recent internal operating budgets and long-term strategic plans. Changes to any of the inputs may result in significantly higher or lower fair value measurements. A summary of assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis at October 1, 2016 and January 2, 2016 is as follows (in millions): Balance SheetClassificationOctober 1, 2016 Quoted PricesIn ActiveMarkets(Level 1) SignificantOtherObservableInputs(Level 2) SignificantUnobservableInputs(Level 3)Assets           Money-market securitiesCash and cash equivalents$22 $22 $— $—   Available-for-sale     securitiesOther current assets9 9 — —   Foreign currency forward     contractsOther current assets1 — 1 —   Trading securitiesOther assets322 322 — —Total assets $354 $353 $1 $—         Liabilities        Foreign currency forward contractsOther current liabilities$32 $— $32 $—Contingent considerationOther liabilities40 — — 40Foreign currency forward contractsOther liabilities3 — 3 —Total liabilities $75 $— $35 $40 Balance SheetClassificationJanuary 2, 2016 Quoted PricesIn ActiveMarkets(Level 1) SignificantOtherObservableInputs(Level 2) SignificantUnobservableInputs(Level 3)Assets        Money-market securitiesCash and cash equivalents$273 $273 $— $—Available-for-sale   securitiesOther current assets10 10 — —Foreign currency forward contractsOther current assets14 — 14 —Trading securitiesOther assets302 302 — —Foreign currency forward contractsOther assets2 — 2 —Total assets $601 $585 $16 $—         Liabilities        Contingent considerationOther current liabilities$118 $— $— $118Foreign currency forward contractsOther current liabilities6 — 6 —Contingent considerationOther liabilities33 — — 33Foreign currency forward contractsOther liabilities3 — 3 —Total liabilities $160 $— $9 $151The recurring Level 3 fair value measurements of the Company's contingent consideration liabilities include the following significant unobservable inputs (in millions):Contingent Consideration LiabilitiesFair Value as of October 1, 2016Valuation Technique Unobservable Input Value or Range         Spinal Modulation revenue-based milestones and earn-outs$7Monte Carlo Simulation Discount Rates 0.8%-15.5%    Expected Revenue Volatility   25.0%    Projected Years of Payments 2017, 2018         Nanostim, Inc. revenue-based milestones2Probability Weighted Discounted Cash Flow Discount Rate   5.0%    Probability of Payments   10.0%    Projected Years of Payments 2017, 2018         Assumed from Thoratec regulatory-based and revenue-based milestones27Probability Weighted Discounted Cash Flow Discount Rate   4.3%    Probabilities of Payments —%-90.0%    Projected Years of Payments 2018-2022         U.S. Distributor revenue-based milestones4Probability Weighted Discounted Cash Flow Discount Rates 0.9%-1.1%    Probabilities of Payments —%-100.0%    Projected Years of Payments 2019, 2021Total contingent consideration liabilities$40       Additionally, the following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances of the Company's recurring Level 3 fair value measurements (in millions):  NanostimSpinal ModulationAssumed from ThoratecU.S. DistributorTotalBalance as of January 3, 2015$50$—$—$—$50Initial fair value measurement of contingent consideration—155——155Liabilities assumed from Thoratec acquisition——33—33Change in fair value of contingent consideration(48)(33)(6)—(87)Balance as of January 2, 2016212227—151Change in fair value of contingent consideration—81—9Transfer out of Level 3 fair value measurement due to contractual settlement—(124)——(124)Balance as of April 2, 20162628—36Change in fair value of contingent consideration—(4)(1)—(5)Balance as of July 2, 20162227—31Initial fair value measurement of contingent consideration———44Change in fair value of contingent consideration—5——5Balance as of October 1, 2016$2$7$27$4$40Assets and Liabilities that are Measured at Fair Value on a Nonrecurring BasisDisclosures are required for certain assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value but are recognized and disclosed at fair value on a nonrecurring basis in periods subsequent to initial recognition. For St. Jude Medical, such measurements of fair value primarily relate to long-lived assets, goodwill, indefinite-lived intangible assets and cost method investments.Other than the items discussed below, there were no other material impairments that were measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis for the three and nine months ended October 1, 2016 or October 3, 2015. Long-lived assets: During the three and nine months ended October 1, 2016, the Company recognized $1 million and $6 million, respectively, of fixed asset write-offs primarily associated with projects abandoned as the Company continued to integrate its recent acquisitions. During the three and nine months ended October 3, 2015, the Company recognized $15 million and $17 million of fixed asset write-offs primarily related to fixed asset impairments associated with software development assets no longer expected to be utilized. Typically the Company measures these assets using independent appraisals, market models and discounted cash flow models. However, as these fixed assets had no alternative future use and therefore no discrete future cash flows, the assets were fully impaired. During the third quarter of 2015, the Company also recognized a $2 million impairment charge related to a customer relationship intangible asset. Due to changes in hospital purchasing practices, the Company determined that the intangible asset no longer had any future discrete cash flows and that the asset was fully impaired.Cost method investments: The Company also holds investments in equity securities that are accounted for as cost method investments, which are classified as other assets and measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis. The carrying value of these investments was $59 million and $80 million as of October 1, 2016 and January 2, 2016, respectively. During the first nine months of 2016, the Company concluded that adverse regulatory rulings and subsequent operational decisions made by an entity in which the Company had strategic debt and equity investments had an adverse impact on the fair values of those investments. As a result, the Company recognized other-than-temporary impairments of approximately $50 million in other (income) expense in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Earnings to fully write-down its cost method equity investment and convertible debt investment. The fair value of the Company’s remaining cost method investments was not estimated during the three and nine months ended October 1, 2016 since there were no other identified events or changes in circumstances that may have had a significant adverse effect on the fair value of these investments. Fair Value Measurements of Other Financial InstrumentsThe aggregate fair value of the Company’s fixed-rate senior notes at October 1, 2016 (measured using quoted prices in active markets) was $3,437 million compared to the aggregate carrying value of $3,278 million (inclusive of unamortized debt discounts). The fair value of the Company’s variable-rate debt obligations at October 1, 2016 approximated its aggregate $2,496 million carrying value due to the variable interest rate and short-term nature of these instruments. The Company also had $372 million and $393 million of cash equivalents invested in short-term deposits and interest and non-interest bearing bank accounts at October 1, 2016 and January 2, 2016, respectively, the cost basis of which approximated the fair value. |

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No definition available.
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| - Definition
The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.
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