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                                                                  EXHIBIT 23.1

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' CONSENT

We consent to the incorporation by reference in Registration Statements 
No. 33-95630, No. 333-04192, and No. 333-04190 of MiniMed Inc. on Form S-8 of 
our report dated March 5, 1999 (except for Note 15 as to which the date is 
April 1, 1999), appearing in this Annual Report on Form 10-K of MiniMed, Inc. 
for the year ended January 1, 1999.

Our audits of the financial statements referred to in our aforementioned report
also include the financial statement schedule of MiniMed Inc., listed in Item
14. This financial statement schedule is the responsibility of the Company's
management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion based on our audits. In
our opinion, such financial statement schedule, when considered in relation to
the basic financial statements taken as a whole, presents fairly in all material
respects the information set forth therein.


/s/  DELOITTE & TOUCHE, LLP
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Los Angeles, California
April 1, 1999