Income Taxes (Details - Rate Table)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Schedule of Income Tax Rate Reconciliation [Line Items]
effective income tax reconciliation, compensation-related	0.70%	1.70%	0.30%
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, at Federal Statutory Income Tax Rate	(35.00%)	(35.00%)	(35.00%)
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, State and Local Income Taxes	(6.50%)	(7.90%)	(0.20%)
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Foreign Income Tax Rate Differential	(29.10%)	(63.40%)	(3.70%)
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Nondeductible Expense	(7.50%)	3.50%	0.00%
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Tax Credits, Research	(7.00%)	(12.20%)	0.00%
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Change in Deferred Tax Assets Valuation Allowance	4.00%	(12.00%)	0.30%
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Uncertain Domestic Tax Positions	2.00%	7.00%	0.80%
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Other Adjustments	(0.20%)	(1.90%)	0.30%
Reported tax rate	(76.70%)bsx_ReportedTaxRate	(46.00%)bsx_ReportedTaxRate	(1.00%)bsx_ReportedTaxRate
Other Intangible Assets [Member]
Schedule of Income Tax Rate Reconciliation [Line Items]
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Nondeductible Expense, Impairment Losses	1.90%	9.00%	(0.20%)
Goodwill [Member]
Schedule of Income Tax Rate Reconciliation [Line Items]
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Nondeductible Expense, Impairment Losses	0.00%	65.20%	36.40%

Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Uncertain Domestic Tax Positions

No definition available.

Name:	bsx_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationUncertainDomesticTaxPositions
Namespace Prefix:	bsx_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

effective income tax reconciliation, compensation-related

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	bsx_Effectiveincometaxreconciliationcompensationrelated
Namespace Prefix:	bsx_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Reported tax rate

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	bsx_ReportedTaxRate
Namespace Prefix:	bsx_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	bsx_ScheduleofIncomeTaxRateReconciliationLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	bsx_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Percentage of domestic federal statutory tax rate applicable to pretax income (loss).

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 740

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

-Paragraph 12

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32687-109319

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 740

-SubTopic 10

-Section S99

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (SAB TOPIC 6.I)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=34349781&loc=d3e330036-122817

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 740

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

-Paragraph 13

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32698-109319

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationAtFederalStatutoryIncomeTaxRate
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Percentage of the difference between reported income tax expense (benefit) and expected income tax expense (benefit) computed by applying the domestic federal statutory income tax rates to pretax income (loss) from continuing operations attributable to changes in the valuation allowance for deferred tax assets.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationChangeInDeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Percentage of the difference between reported income tax expense (benefit) and expected income tax expense (benefit) computed by applying the domestic federal statutory income tax rates to pretax income (loss) from continuing operations applicable to statutory income tax expense (benefit) outside of the country of domicile.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationForeignIncomeTaxRateDifferential
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationNondeductibleExpense
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationNondeductibleExpenseImpairmentLosses
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationOtherAdjustments
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Percentage of the difference between reported income tax expense (benefit) and expected income tax expense (benefit) computed by applying the domestic federal statutory income tax rates to pretax income (loss) from continuing operations applicable to state and local income tax expense (benefit), net of federal tax expense (benefit).

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationStateAndLocalIncomeTaxes
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationTaxCreditsResearch
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	bsx_ImpairedIntangibleAssetByTypeAxis=us-gaap_GoodwillMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	bsx_ImpairedIntangibleAssetByTypeAxis=us-gaap_OtherIntangibleAssetsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: