Legal proceedings	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2011
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Legal Matters and Contingencies [Text Block]	Legal proceedings From time to time, we are a defendant in certain lawsuits alleging product liability, patent infringement, or other claims incurred in the ordinary course of business. Likewise, from time to time, the Company may receive a subpoena from a government agency such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Department of Labor, the Treasury Department, or other federal and state agencies or foreign governments or government agencies. These subpoenas may or may not be routine inquiries, or may begin as routine inquiries and over time develop into enforcement actions of various types. The product liability claims are generally covered by various insurance policies, subject to certain deductible amounts, maximum policy limits and certain exclusions in the respective policies or required as a matter of law. In some cases we may be entitled to indemnification by third parties. When there is no insurance coverage, as would typically be the case primarily in lawsuits alleging patent infringement or in connection with certain government investigations, or indemnification obligations of a third party, we establish reserves sufficient to cover probable losses associated with such claims. We do not expect that the resolution of any pending claims or investigations will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. There can be no assurance, however, that future claims or investigations, or the costs associated with responding to such claims or investigations, especially claims and investigations not covered by insurance, will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Manufacturers of medical products may face exposure to significant product liability claims. To date, we have not experienced any product liability claims that have been material to our financial statements or condition, but any such claims arising in the future could have a material adverse effect on our business or results of operations. We currently maintain commercial product liability insurance of $25 million per incident and $25 million in the aggregate annually, which we believe is adequate. This coverage is on a claims-made basis. There can be no assurance that claims will not exceed insurance coverage, that the carriers will be solvent or that such insurance will be available to us in the future at a reasonable cost. Our operations are subject, and in the past have been subject, to a number of environmental laws and regulations governing, among other things, air emissions, wastewater discharges, the use, handling and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, soil and groundwater remediation and employee health and safety. In some jurisdictions environmental requirements may be expected to become more stringent in the future. In the United States certain environmental laws can impose liability for the entire cost of site restoration upon each of the parties that may have contributed to conditions at the site regardless of fault or the lawfulness of the party’s activities. While we do not believe that the present costs of environmental compliance and remediation are material, there can be no assurance that future compliance or remedial obligations would not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Legal proceedings

From time to time, we are a defendant in certain lawsuits alleging product liability, patent infringement, or other claims incurred in the ordinary course of business. Likewise, from time to time, the Company may receive a subpoena from a government agency such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Department of Labor, the Treasury Department, or other federal and state agencies or foreign governments or government agencies. These subpoenas may or may not be routine inquiries, or may begin as routine inquiries and over time develop into enforcement actions of various types. The product liability claims are generally covered by various insurance policies, subject to certain deductible amounts, maximum policy limits and certain exclusions in the respective policies or required as a matter of law. In some cases we may be entitled to indemnification by third parties. When there is no insurance coverage, as would typically be the case primarily in lawsuits alleging patent infringement or in connection with certain government investigations, or indemnification obligations of a third party, we establish reserves sufficient to cover probable losses associated with such claims. We do not expect that the resolution of any pending claims or investigations will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. There can be no assurance, however, that future claims or investigations, or the costs associated with responding to such claims or investigations, especially claims and investigations not covered by insurance, will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Manufacturers of medical products may face exposure to significant product liability claims. To date, we have not experienced any product liability claims that have been material to our financial statements or condition, but any such claims arising in the future could have a material adverse effect on our business or results of operations. We currently maintain commercial product liability insurance of $25 million per incident and $25 million in the aggregate annually, which we believe is adequate. This coverage is on a claims-made basis. There can be no assurance that claims will not exceed insurance coverage, that the carriers will be solvent or that such insurance will be available to us in the future at a reasonable cost.

Our operations are subject, and in the past have been subject, to a number of environmental laws and regulations governing, among other things, air emissions, wastewater discharges, the use, handling and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, soil and groundwater remediation and employee health and safety. In some jurisdictions environmental requirements may be expected to become more stringent in the future. In the United States certain environmental laws can impose liability for the entire cost of site restoration upon each of the parties that may have contributed to conditions at the site regardless of fault or the lawfulness of the party’s activities. While we do not believe that the present costs of environmental compliance and remediation are material, there can be no assurance that future compliance or remedial obligations would not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.