Debt - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		3 Months Ended			3 Months Ended		3 Months Ended										3 Months Ended			3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2015 Senior Credit Facility [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2015 Senior Notes [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2015 Japan Term Loan [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2015 Japan Term Loan [Member] JPY (¥)	Dec. 31, 2014 Japan Term Loan [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2015 Biomet Term Loan Facility [Member] Senior Credit Facility [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2015 Multicurrency Revolving Facility [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2015 Multicurrency Revolving Facility [Member] Senior Credit Facility [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2015 Prior Term Loan [Member] Ratio	Mar. 31, 2015 After Term Loan [Member] Ratio	Mar. 31, 2015 Thereafter Term Loan [Member] Ratio	Mar. 31, 2015 1.450% Senior Notes due 2017 [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2015 2.000% Senior Notes due 2018 [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2015 2.700% Senior Notes due 2020 [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2015 3.150% Senior Notes due 2022 [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2015 3.550% Senior Notes due 2025 [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2015 4.250% Senior Notes due 2035 [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2015 4.450% Senior Notes due 2045 [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2015 3.375% Senior Notes due 2021 [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014 3.375% Senior Notes due 2021 [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2015 3.375% Senior Notes due 2021 [Member] Minimum [Member]	Mar. 31, 2015 3.375% Senior Notes due 2021 [Member] Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes	$ 8,950,000,000													$ 500,000,000	$ 1,150,000,000	$ 1,500,000,000	$ 750,000,000	$ 2,000,000,000	$ 500,000,000	$ 1,250,000,000	$ 300,000,000	$ 300,000,000
Term loan					98,200,000	11,700,000,000	98,000,000
Maturity date of term loan					May 31, 2018	May 31, 2018
Other long-term debt	4,900,000	4,900,000
Senior credit facility			4,350,000,000					3,000,000,000		1,350,000,000
Unsecured term loan, term								5 years		5 years										30 years
Principal amount, term loan description			(the “Senior Credit Facility”) that contains: (i) a 5-year unsecured term loan facility in the principal amount of $3.0 billion (the “Biomet Term Loan Facility”), and (ii) a 5-year unsecured multicurrency revolving facility in the principal amount of $1.35 billion (the “Multicurrency Revolving Facility”).
Maximum Leverage Ratio											3.0	5.0	4.5
Leverage ratio description under line of credit facility on financial covenants			Financial covenants include a consolidated indebtedness to consolidated EBITDA ratio of no greater than 3.0 to 1.0 in periods prior to our drawing on the Biomet Term Loan Facility, no greater than 5.0 to 1.0 for the first twelve months after we draw on the Biomet Term Loan Facility and no greater than 4.5 to 1.0 thereafter.
Outstanding Senior Credit Facility									0
Interest rate of Senior Notes														1.45%	2.00%	2.70%	3.15%	3.55%	4.25%	4.45%	3.375%	3.375%
Proceeds from senior notes	7,628,200,000
Debt instruments redemption terms	Obligated to redeem all of the Merger Notes at a price equal to 101% of the principal amount of the Merger Notes plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date.
Debt instrument redemption period																							1 month	6 months
Estimated fair value of Senior Notes and term loan				$ 9,246,100,000	$ 98,000,000