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Acquisitions (Details) (USD $)
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
 3 Months Ended 0 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015
Mar. 31, 2014
Apr. 03, 2015
Mar. 02, 2015
Dec. 31, 2014
Business Acquisition [Line Items]          
Accrued Contingent Consideration $ 202bsx_AccruedContingentConsideration       $ 274bsx_AccruedContingentConsideration
Business Combination, Liabilities Arising from Contingencies, Amount Recognized 0bsx_ContingentConsiderationRecognizedInPeriod        
Adjustments to accrued contingent consideration 0bsx_Adjustmentstoaccruedcontingentconsideration        
Contingent payment related to business combination 99bsx_ContingentPaymentRelatedToBusinessCombination        
Maximum future contingent consideration for acquisitions 1,810bsx_Maximumfuturecontingentconsiderationforacquisitions        
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired 0us-gaap_PaymentsToAcquireBusinessesNetOfCashAcquired 8us-gaap_PaymentsToAcquireBusinessesNetOfCashAcquired      
Payment of contingent consideration 87bsx_PaymentOfContingentConsideration 12bsx_PaymentOfContingentConsideration      
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration Arrangements, Change in Amount of Contingent Consideration, Liability 27us-gaap_BusinessCombinationContingentConsiderationArrangementsChangeInAmountOfContingentConsiderationLiability1 (22)us-gaap_BusinessCombinationContingentConsiderationArrangementsChangeInAmountOfContingentConsiderationLiability1      
R&D- and commercialization-based milestones [Member]          
Business Acquisition [Line Items]          
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration, Liability 13us-gaap_BusinessCombinationContingentConsiderationLiability
/ us-gaap_ContingentConsiderationByTypeAxis
= bsx_RdAndCommercializationBasedMilestonesMember		        
contingent consideration liability, projected year of payment 2015        
Risk-adjusted discount rate for contingent consideration 1.20%bsx_RiskAdjustedDiscountRateForContingentConsideration
/ us-gaap_ContingentConsiderationByTypeAxis
= bsx_RdAndCommercializationBasedMilestonesMember		        
R&D- and commercialization-based milestones [Member] | Minimum [Member]          
Business Acquisition [Line Items]          
contingent consideration liability, probability of payment 95.00%bsx_ContingentConsiderationLiabilityProbabilityOfPayment
/ us-gaap_ContingentConsiderationByTypeAxis
= bsx_RdAndCommercializationBasedMilestonesMember
/ us-gaap_RangeAxis
= us-gaap_MinimumMember		        
R&D- and commercialization-based milestones [Member] | Maximum [Member]          
Business Acquisition [Line Items]          
contingent consideration liability, probability of payment 100.00%bsx_ContingentConsiderationLiabilityProbabilityOfPayment
/ us-gaap_ContingentConsiderationByTypeAxis
= bsx_RdAndCommercializationBasedMilestonesMember
/ us-gaap_RangeAxis
= us-gaap_MaximumMember		        
revenue-based payments [Member] | Discounted cash flow [Member]          
Business Acquisition [Line Items]          
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration, Liability 51us-gaap_BusinessCombinationContingentConsiderationLiability
/ us-gaap_ContingentConsiderationByTypeAxis
= bsx_RevenueBasedPaymentsMember
/ bsx_RevenueBasedPaymentsByValuationTechniquAxis
= bsx_DiscountedCashFlowMember		        
revenue-based payments [Member] | Discounted cash flow [Member] | Minimum [Member]          
Business Acquisition [Line Items]          
contingent consideration liability, projected year of payment 2015        
contingent consideration liability, probability of payment 0.00%bsx_ContingentConsiderationLiabilityProbabilityOfPayment
/ us-gaap_ContingentConsiderationByTypeAxis
= bsx_RevenueBasedPaymentsMember
/ us-gaap_RangeAxis
= us-gaap_MinimumMember
/ bsx_RevenueBasedPaymentsByValuationTechniquAxis
= bsx_DiscountedCashFlowMember		        
Risk-adjusted discount rate for contingent consideration 11.50%bsx_RiskAdjustedDiscountRateForContingentConsideration
/ us-gaap_ContingentConsiderationByTypeAxis
= bsx_RevenueBasedPaymentsMember
/ us-gaap_RangeAxis
= us-gaap_MinimumMember
/ bsx_RevenueBasedPaymentsByValuationTechniquAxis
= bsx_DiscountedCashFlowMember		        
revenue-based payments [Member] | Discounted cash flow [Member] | Maximum [Member]          
Business Acquisition [Line Items]          
contingent consideration liability, projected year of payment 2018        
contingent consideration liability, probability of payment 100.00%bsx_ContingentConsiderationLiabilityProbabilityOfPayment
/ us-gaap_ContingentConsiderationByTypeAxis
= bsx_RevenueBasedPaymentsMember
/ us-gaap_RangeAxis
= us-gaap_MaximumMember
/ bsx_RevenueBasedPaymentsByValuationTechniquAxis
= bsx_DiscountedCashFlowMember		        
Risk-adjusted discount rate for contingent consideration 15.00%bsx_RiskAdjustedDiscountRateForContingentConsideration
/ us-gaap_ContingentConsiderationByTypeAxis
= bsx_RevenueBasedPaymentsMember
/ us-gaap_RangeAxis
= us-gaap_MaximumMember
/ bsx_RevenueBasedPaymentsByValuationTechniquAxis
= bsx_DiscountedCashFlowMember		        
revenue-based payments [Member] | Monte Carlo [Member]          
Business Acquisition [Line Items]          
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration, Liability 138us-gaap_BusinessCombinationContingentConsiderationLiability
/ us-gaap_ContingentConsiderationByTypeAxis
= bsx_RevenueBasedPaymentsMember
/ bsx_RevenueBasedPaymentsByValuationTechniquAxis
= bsx_MonteCarloMember		        
revenue-based payments [Member] | Monte Carlo [Member] | Minimum [Member]          
Business Acquisition [Line Items]          
Revenue Volatility - Contingent Consideration 11.00%bsx_RevenueVolatilityContingentConsideration
/ us-gaap_ContingentConsiderationByTypeAxis
= bsx_RevenueBasedPaymentsMember
/ us-gaap_RangeAxis
= us-gaap_MinimumMember
/ bsx_RevenueBasedPaymentsByValuationTechniquAxis
= bsx_MonteCarloMember		        
contingent consideration liability, projected year of payment 2015        
revenue-based payments [Member] | Monte Carlo [Member] | Maximum [Member]          
Business Acquisition [Line Items]          
Revenue Volatility - Contingent Consideration 13.00%bsx_RevenueVolatilityContingentConsideration
/ us-gaap_ContingentConsiderationByTypeAxis
= bsx_RevenueBasedPaymentsMember
/ us-gaap_RangeAxis
= us-gaap_MaximumMember
/ bsx_RevenueBasedPaymentsByValuationTechniquAxis
= bsx_MonteCarloMember		        
contingent consideration liability, projected year of payment 2018        
2015 Acquisitions [Member] | Xlumena [Member]          
Business Acquisition [Line Items]          
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired     63us-gaap_PaymentsToAcquireBusinessesNetOfCashAcquired
/ us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionAxis
= bsx_XlumenaMember
/ us-gaap_SubsequentEventTypeAxis
= bsx_A2015AcquisitionsMember		    
Potential payments based on acheiving certain milestones     13bsx_PotentialPaymentsBasedOnAcheivingCertainMilestones
/ us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionAxis
= bsx_XlumenaMember
/ us-gaap_SubsequentEventTypeAxis
= bsx_A2015AcquisitionsMember		    
2015 Acquisitions [Member] | AMS urology portfolio [Member]          
Business Acquisition [Line Items]          
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired       1,600us-gaap_PaymentsToAcquireBusinessesNetOfCashAcquired
/ us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionAxis
= bsx_AMSurologyportfolioMember
/ us-gaap_SubsequentEventTypeAxis
= bsx_A2015AcquisitionsMember		  
Potential payments based on acheiving certain milestones       $ 50bsx_PotentialPaymentsBasedOnAcheivingCertainMilestones
/ us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionAxis
= bsx_AMSurologyportfolioMember
/ us-gaap_SubsequentEventTypeAxis
= bsx_A2015AcquisitionsMember