Basis of Presentation	9 Months Ended
Basis of Presentation	Sep. 30, 2016
Basis of Presentation [Abstract]
Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Text Block]	Pension Termination Charges Following our 2006 acquisition of Guidant Corporation, we sponsored the Guidant Retirement Plan, a noncontributory defined benefit plan covering a select group of current and former employees. The plan was partially frozen as of September 25, 1995 and completely frozen as of May 31, 2007. The plan was subsequently terminated effective December 1, 2014. During 2015, we finalized the termination process and settled the plan’s obligations, and as a result, we recorded pension termination charges of $36 million during the third quarter of 2015 and a total of $44 million during the first nine months of 2015. No additional pension termination charges were recorded in the year ended December 31, 2015 and we do not expect to record any additional pension termination charges in 2016 related to the termination of the Guidant Retirement Plan.
BASIS OF PRESENTATION	BASIS OF PRESENTATION The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of Boston Scientific Corporation have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (U.S. GAAP) and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2016 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2016. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in Item 8 of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. Subsequent Events We evaluate events occurring after the date of our most recent accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets for potential recognition or disclosure in our financial statements. We did not identify any material subsequent events requiring adjustment to our accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements (recognized subsequent events) for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2016. Those items requiring disclosure (unrecognized subsequent events) in the financial statements have been disclosed accordingly. Refer to Note B - Acquisitions and Strategic Investments and Note I - Commitments and Contingencies for more information. Pension Termination Charges Following our 2006 acquisition of Guidant Corporation, we sponsored the Guidant Retirement Plan, a noncontributory defined benefit plan covering a select group of current and former employees. The plan was partially frozen as of September 25, 1995 and completely frozen as of May 31, 2007. The plan was subsequently terminated effective December 1, 2014. During 2015, we finalized the termination process and settled the plan’s obligations, and as a result, we recorded pension termination charges of $36 million during the third quarter of 2015 and a total of $44 million during the first nine months of 2015. No additional pension termination charges were recorded in the year ended December 31, 2015 and we do not expect to record any additional pension termination charges in 2016 related to the termination of the Guidant Retirement Plan.