Acquisitions (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended			12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011 years	Mar. 31, 2011	Mar. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2011 years	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009	Jan. 05, 2011	Nov. 03, 2010	Oct. 26, 2010	Dec. 31, 2010 2010 Acquisitions [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 2010 Acquisitions [Member] Minimum [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 2010 Acquisitions [Member] Maximum [Member]	Jan. 04, 2011 Sadra Medical, Inc. [Member]	Jan. 05, 2011 Intelect Medical, Inc., [Member]	Feb. 15, 2011 ReVascular Therapeutics, Inc. [Member]	Mar. 03, 2011 Atritech, Inc. [Member]	Mar. 31, 2011 2011 Acquisitions [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 2011 Acquisitions [Member] Minimum [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 2011 Acquisitions [Member] Maximum [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Post-2008 Acquisitions [Member]	Oct. 26, 2010 Payment on product sales [Member]	Oct. 26, 2010 Revenue-based milestone [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Accrued Contingent Consideration	$ (358,000,000)			$ (358,000,000)	$ (71,000,000)	$ (6,000,000)
Contingent consideration recognized in the period				(287,000,000)	(75,000,000)
Contingent payment related to business combination				7,000,000	12,000,000
The components of the preliminary purchase price as of the acquisition date for acquisitions consummated in the first quarter of 2011 are as follows
Payment to acquire in cash								5,000,000	194,000,000	199,000,000			193,000,000	60,000,000	19,000,000	98,000,000	370,000,000
Fair value of contingent consideration									(54,000,000)	69,000,000							287,000,000
Prior investments																	55,000,000
Total										268,000,000							712,000,000
Business Acquisition, Contingent Consideration, Potential Cash Payment																					200,000,000	50,000,000
The preliminary purchase price allocation:
Goodwill	266,000,000			266,000,000						81,000,000
Amortizable intangible assets	97,000,000			97,000,000	175,000,000					175,000,000
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Asset, Weighted Average Useful Life	7.4			11.9
Indefinite-lived intangible assets	470,000,000			470,000,000	45,000,000					45,000,000
Other net assets										3,000,000
Deferred income taxes	(121,000,000)			(121,000,000)						(36,000,000)
Total	712,000,000			712,000,000						268,000,000
Additional Acquisitions (Textuals) [Abstract]
Payment to acquire in cash								5,000,000	194,000,000	199,000,000			193,000,000	60,000,000	19,000,000	98,000,000	370,000,000
Percentage of equity acquired								100.00%	100.00%				86.00%	85.00%	100.00%	100.00%
Future acquisition related consideration contingent upon the achievement of certain revenue-based milestones								24,000,000	250,000,000				193,000,000	0	16,000,000	275,000,000				730,000,000
Aggregate carrying value of equity interest in Sadra and Intelect prior to acquisition of remaining equity							11,000,000
Risk-adjusted discount rate for contingent consideration		2.00%
Risk adjusted discount rate for contingent consideration, high		20.00%
Note receivable from acquired company prior to acquisition							6,000,000
Estimated Total Cost To Complete In Process Research And Development Programs Acquired											25,000,000	35,000,000						150,000,000	200,000,000
Risk-adjusted discount rate for contingent consideration									20.00%
Acquisitions (Textuals) [Abstract]
Gains on previously held equity interests		38,000,000
Business combination, liabilities arising from contingencies, amount recognized		287,000,000
Estimated fair value of prior equity ownership interest in Sadra and Intelect																	55,000,000
Milestone payment			250,000,000		250,000,000
contingent consideration payment related to prior period acquisition				0
Business Acquisition, Purchse Price Allocation, Net Intangible Assets	567,000,000			567,000,000	220,000,000
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration Arrangements, Change in Amount of Contingent Consideration, Liability				(7,000,000)	(2,000,000)
Benefit related to change in fair value of contingent liability				20,000,000
Purchased research and development						$ 21,000,000