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The aggregate expense charged against earnings to allocate the cost of intangible assets (nonphysical assets not used in production) in a systematic and rational manner to the periods expected to benefit from such assets. As a noncash expense, this element is added back to net income when calculating cash provided by or used in operations using the indirect method.

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- Definition

Amount classified as other assets attributable to disposal group held for sale or disposed of, expected to be disposed of after one year or the normal operating cycle, if longer.

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Useful life of finite-lived intangible assets, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents the reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days.

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No definition available.

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Amount of amortization expense for assets, excluding financial assets and goodwill, lacking physical substance with a finite life expected to be recognized during the next fiscal year following the latest fiscal year. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported on a rolling approach, from latest balance sheet date.

+ References

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Amount of amortization expense for assets, excluding financial assets and goodwill, lacking physical substance with a finite life expected to be recognized during the fifth fiscal year following the latest fiscal year. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported on a rolling approach, from latest balance sheet date.

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Amount of amortization expense for assets, excluding financial assets and goodwill, lacking physical substance with a finite life expected to be recognized during the fourth fiscal year following the latest fiscal year. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported on a rolling approach, from latest balance sheet date.

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Amount of amortization expense for assets, excluding financial assets and goodwill, lacking physical substance with a finite life expected to be recognized during the third fiscal year following the latest fiscal year. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported on a rolling approach, from latest balance sheet date.

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Amount of amortization expense for assets, excluding financial assets and goodwill, lacking physical substance with a finite life expected to be recognized during the second fiscal year following the latest fiscal year. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported on a rolling approach, from latest balance sheet date.

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Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

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Amount of increase in assets, excluding financial assets, lacking physical substance with a definite life, from an acquisition.

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Amount after accumulated impairment loss of an asset representing future economic benefits arising from other assets acquired in a business combination that are not individually identified and separately recognized.

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Intangible Assets and Goodwill - Narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 01, 2018	Apr. 02, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017	Jun. 16, 2017
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Amortization Expense, Next Twelve Months	$ 4,400
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Amortization Expense, Year Two	4,400
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Amortization Expense, Year Three	4,400
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Amortization Expense, Year Four	4,400
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Amortization Expense, Year Five	4,400
Intangible Assets and Goodwill (Textuals)
Amortization expense of amortizable intangible assets	1,100	$ 300
Goodwill	$ 31,149		$ 31,906
Patents And Trademarks
Intangible Assets and Goodwill (Textuals)
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Weighted-Average Useful Life	11 years
Customer relationships and other intangible assets
Intangible Assets and Goodwill (Textuals)
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Weighted-Average Useful Life	22 years
PHARMACEUTICAL
Intangible Assets and Goodwill (Textuals)
Goodwill	$ 9,256		9,109
Medical Devices
Intangible Assets and Goodwill (Textuals)
Goodwill	12,994		$ 13,922
Actelion
Intangible Assets and Goodwill (Textuals)
Goodwill	6,161			$ 5,986
AMO \| Medical Devices
Intangible Assets and Goodwill (Textuals)
Total amortizable intangibles		2,300
Goodwill		$ 1,700
Valchlor
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Other Assets, Noncurrent	400
Patents And Trademarks
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Other Assets, Noncurrent	600
Patents And Trademarks \| LifeScan
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Other Assets, Noncurrent	100
Patents And Trademarks \| Valchlor
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Other Assets, Noncurrent	500
Goodwill \| LifeScan
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Other Assets, Noncurrent	$ 1,000