| Pay vs Performance Disclosure | 12 Months Ended |
| Dec. 31, 2022 USD ($) | Dec. 31, 2021 USD ($) | Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($) |
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | | | |
| Pay vs Performance [Table Text Block] | Average Summary Compensation Table Total for non-PEO NEOs ($) Value of Initial Fixed $100 Investment Based on: Year Summary Compensation Table Total for PEO ($) Compensation Actually Paid to PEO ($) Average Compensation Actually Paid to non-PEO NEOs ($) Total Shareholder Return ($) Peer Group Total Shareholder Return ($) Net Income Reported Net Sales Growth (%) 2022 18,563,214 12,264,070 5,246,489 3,957,048 120.59 140.29 2,358 7.8 2021 16,359,898 27,355,709 5,769,074 8,031,745 130.25 143.09 1,994 19.2 2020 13,317,032 24,002,852 4,018,502 6,159,267 118.17 113.45 1,599 (3.6) | | |
| Company Selected Measure Name | reported net sales growth | | |
| Named Executive Officers, Footnote [Text Block] | Average Summary Compensation Table Total for non-PEO NEOs: This column represents the average total compensation value as reported in the Summary Compensation Table for Named Executive Officers other than the Principal Executive Officer. The following table lists by year the non-PEO NEOs included in the calculation of the average values in the table: 2022 2021 2020 Glenn S. Boehnlein Glenn S. Boehnlein Glenn S. Boehnlein J. Andrew Pierce J. Andrew Pierce Timothy J. Scannell Spencer S. Stiles Spencer S. Stiles Viju S. Menon Viju S. Menon Viju S. Menon Robert S. Fletcher Timothy J. Scannell | | |
| Peer Group Issuers, Footnote [Text Block] | Peer Group Total Shareholder Return: This column represents the total returns (including reinvestments of dividends) of the S&P 500 Health Care Index used for purposes of Item 201(e) of Regulation S-K. Refer to Item 5 in our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information on the peer group. Values in this column assume $100 was invested on December 31, 2019. | | |
| PEO Total Compensation Amount | $ 18,563,214 | $ 16,359,898 | $ 13,317,032 |
| PEO Actually Paid Compensation Amount | $ 12,264,070 | 27,355,709 | 24,002,852 |
| Adjustment To PEO Compensation, Footnote [Text Block] | Compensation Actually Paid to PEO: This column represents the compensation actually paid value for our PEO calculated according to the methodology prescribed by the SEC. The following table summarizes the adjustments to the Summary Compensation Table value which resulted in the compensation actually paid amount for our PEO: Year Summary Compensation Table Total ($) Grant Date Fair Value of Equity Awards Granted During the Year ($) Year-End Fair Value of Equity Awards Granted During the Year that Remain Unvested as of Year-End ($) (1) Change in Fair Value as of Year-End of Equity Awards Granted in Any Prior Year that Remain Unvested as of Year-End ($) (1) Fair Value of Awards Granted During the Year that Vested During the Year ($) (1)(2) Change in Fair Value as of the Vesting Date of Equity Awards Granted in Any Prior Year that Vested During the Year ($) (1) Compensation Actually Paid ($) 2022 18,563,214 (15,255,044) 6,342,316 (4,780,136) 8,729,415 (1,335,695) 12,264,070 2021 16,359,898 (12,767,235) 6,889,809 6,410,096 9,623,555 839,586 27,355,709 2020 13,317,032 (10,343,262) 14,179,526 11,430,242 — (4,580,686) 24,002,852 ______________ (1) The fair value of equity awards (performance stock units, restricted stock units and stock option awards) is calculated in accordance with the Compensation — Stock Compensation Topic of the FASB Codification. Stock option values are derived using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The assumptions (risk-free interest rate, expected dividend yield, expected stock price volatility and expected option life) used in the calculation of the fair value of stock option awards at each measurement date for purposes of determining the compensation actually paid amounts have been updated, as necessary, relative to the assumptions used in the grant date fair value calculations for the respective stock option awards. | | |
| Non-PEO NEO Average Total Compensation Amount | $ 5,246,489 | 5,769,074 | 4,018,502 |
| Non-PEO NEO Average Compensation Actually Paid Amount | $ 3,957,048 | 8,031,745 | 6,159,267 |
| Adjustment to Non-PEO NEO Compensation Footnote [Text Block] | Average Compensation Actually Paid to non-PEO NEOs: This column represents the average compensation actually paid value for our non-PEO NEOs calculated according to the methodology prescribed by the SEC. The following table summarizes the average adjustments to the average Summary Compensation Table value which resulted in the average compensation actually paid amount for our non-PEO NEOs: Year Average Summary Compensation Table Total ($) Average Grant Date Fair Value of Equity Awards Granted During the Year ($) Average Year-End Fair Value of Equity Awards Granted During the Year that Remain Unvested as of Year-End ($) (1) Average Change in Fair Value as of Year-End of Equity Awards Granted in Any Prior Year that Remain Unvested as of Year-End ($) (1) Average Fair Value of Awards Granted During the Year that Vested During the Year ($) (1)(2) Average Change in Fair Value as of the Vesting Date of Equity Awards Granted in Any Prior Year that Vested During the Year ($) (1) Average Compensation Actually Paid ($) 2022 5,246,489 (3,978,330) 3,406,068 (1,050,024) 633,329 (300,484) 3,957,048 2021 5,769,074 (4,365,641) 3,762,663 1,482,305 1,259,204 124,140 8,031,745 2020 4,018,502 (2,801,360) 2,283,881 2,371,276 954,457 (667,489) 6,159,267 ______________ (1) The fair value of equity awards (performance stock units, restricted stock units and stock option awards) is calculated in accordance with the Compensation — Stock Compensation Topic of the FASB Codification. Stock option values are derived using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The assumptions (risk-free interest rate, expected dividend yield, expected stock price volatility and expected option life) used in the calculation of the fair value of stock option awards at each measurement date for purposes of determining the compensation actually paid amounts have been updated, as necessary, relative to the assumptions used in the grant date fair value calculations for the respective stock option awards. (2) Includes the fair value of stock options granted in 2020, 2021 and 2022 and the fair value of restricted stock units granted in 2021 to Mr. Boehnlein that were no longer considered to have a risk of forfeiture due to Mr. Boehnlein having met the age and service requirements for retirement as defined in the 2011 Plan for stock awards granted after 2019. Also included is the fair value of stock options granted in 2020 and 2021 to Mr. Scannell that were no longer considered to have a risk of forfeiture due to Mr. Scannell having met the age and service requirements for retirement as defined in the 2011 Plan for stock awards granted after 2019. | | |
| Compensation Actually Paid vs. Total Shareholder Return [Text Block] | Relationship of Compensation Actually Paid and Our Total Shareholder Return The compensation actually paid to our PEO and other NEOs was strongly aligned to our total shareholder return during the three-year period of 2020 to 2022. This is largely a result of the significant weighting of equity-based compensation, which is directly linked to the price of our Common Stock, in the pay program for the PEO and other NEOs. | | |
| Compensation Actually Paid vs. Net Income [Text Block] | Relationship of Compensation Actually Paid and Our Net Income The compensation actually paid to our PEO and other NEOs had limited alignment to our reported net income during the three-year period of 2020 to 2022. Reported net income is not used as a performance measure in the pay programs for our PEO and other NEOs, nor is it used when determining any other component of pay for this group. | | |
| Compensation Actually Paid vs. Company Selected Measure [Text Block] | Relationship of Compensation Actually Paid and Our Reported Net Sales Growth The compensation actually paid to our PEO and other NEOs was aligned to our reported net sales growth during the three-year period of 2020 to 2022. Our one-year reported net sales growth performance is used in the performance stock units program when calculating our three-year average reported net sales growth performance relative to a comparison group of companies, which has represented 50% of the target award opportunity in each grant of performance stock units. | | |
| Total Shareholder Return Vs Peer Group [Text Block] | Relationship of Our Total Shareholder Return and the Peer Group Total Shareholder Return Our cumulative total shareholder return during the three-year period of 2020 to 2022 was less than that of the S&P 500 Health Care Index. This was a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and macroeconomic conditions having very different impacts on our Company relative to many companies in the S&P 500 Health Care Index. | | |
| Tabular List [Table Text Block] | Reported net sales growth Constant currency sales Adjusted diluted net earnings per share growth Adjusted operating income | | |
| Total Shareholder Return Amount | $ 120.59 | 130.25 | 118.17 |
| Peer Group Total Shareholder Return Amount | 140.29 | 143.09 | 113.45 |
| Net Income (Loss) | $ 2,358,000,000 | $ 1,994,000,000 | $ 1,599,000,000 |
| Company Selected Measure Amount | 0.078 | 0.192 | (0.036) |
| Additional 402(v) Disclosure [Text Block] | Summary Compensation Table Total for PEO: This column represents the total compensation value for our PEO as reported in the Summary Compensation Table. Mr. Lobo was the PEO for each of the covered years in the table. Total Shareholder Return: This column represents the total returns (including reinvestments of dividends) of our Common Stock assuming $100 was invested on December 31, 2019. Net Income: This column represents our net earnings (in $ millions) as reported in conformance with GAAP. | | |
| Measure [Axis]: 1 | | | |
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | | | |
| Measure Name | Reported net sales growth | | |
| Non-GAAP Measure Description [Text Block] | Reported Net Sales Growth: This column represents the annual percentage change in our reported net sales as reported in conformance with GAAP. We believe this measure is the most important financial performance measure (that is otherwise not required to be disclosed in the Pay versus Performance table) used in linking compensation actually paid to our PEO and other NEOs to our performance for the most recently completed fiscal year. Sales metrics are prominently used in the NEOs' annual bonus plans and performance stock unit awards. Our reported net sales growth in 2022 is a large factor in determining the fair value as of December 31, 2022 for three performance stock unit cycles (the grants of performance stock units made in 2020, 2021 and 2022) thereby significantly influencing the 2022 total compensation actually paid amounts to our PEO and other NEOs. | | |
| Measure [Axis]: 2 | | | |
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | | | |
| Measure Name | Constant currency sales | | |
| Measure [Axis]: 3 | | | |
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | | | |
| Measure Name | Adjusted diluted net earnings per share growth | | |
| Measure [Axis]: 4 | | | |
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | | | |
| Measure Name | Adjusted operating income | | |
| PEO [Member] | Adjustment, Equity Awards Granted During The Year [Member] | | | |
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | | | |
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | $ (15,255,044) | $ (12,767,235) | $ (10,343,262) |
| PEO [Member] | Adjustment, Equity Awards Granted During The Year That Remain Unvested As Of Year-End [Member] | | | |
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | | | |
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 6,342,316 | 6,889,809 | 14,179,526 |
| PEO [Member] | Adjustment, Equity Awards Granted In Prior Years And Remain Unvested As Of Year-End [Member] | | | |
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | | | |
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | (4,780,136) | 6,410,096 | 11,430,242 |
| PEO [Member] | Adjustment, Equity Awards Granted And Vested During The Year [Member] | | | |
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | | | |
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 8,729,415 | 9,623,555 | 0 |
| PEO [Member] | Adjustment, Equity Awards Granted In Prior Years That Vested During The Year [Member] | | | |
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | | | |
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | (1,335,695) | 839,586 | (4,580,686) |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Adjustment, Equity Awards Granted During The Year [Member] | | | |
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | | | |
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | (3,978,330) | (4,365,641) | (2,801,360) |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Adjustment, Equity Awards Granted During The Year That Remain Unvested As Of Year-End [Member] | | | |
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | | | |
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 3,406,068 | 3,762,663 | 2,283,881 |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Adjustment, Equity Awards Granted In Prior Years And Remain Unvested As Of Year-End [Member] | | | |
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | | | |
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | (1,050,024) | 1,482,305 | 2,371,276 |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Adjustment, Equity Awards Granted And Vested During The Year [Member] | | | |
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | | | |
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 633,329 | 1,259,204 | 954,457 |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Adjustment, Equity Awards Granted In Prior Years That Vested During The Year [Member] | | | |
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | | | |
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | $ (300,484) | $ 124,140 | $ (667,489) |
