BASIS OF PRESENTATION (Policies)	9 Months Ended
BASIS OF PRESENTATION (Policies)	Sep. 30, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	The accompanying interim consolidated condensed financial statements and related disclosures have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes included in Edwards Lifesciences Corporation's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America ("GAAP") have been condensed or omitted. In the opinion of management, the interim consolidated condensed financial statements reflect all adjustments considered necessary for a fair statement of the interim periods. All such adjustments are of a normal, recurring nature. The results of operations for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations to be expected for the full year. Certain reclassifications have been made to the prior year's consolidated condensed financial statements to conform to the current year presentation.
Recently Adopted Accounting Standards and New Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted	Recently Adopted Accounting Standards In February 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued an amendment to the guidance on comprehensive income. The amendment permits a company to reclassify the income tax effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the "2017 Act") on items within accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company early adopted this guidance as of January 1, 2018, and elected to reclassify the income tax effects of the 2017 Act from accumulated other comprehensive loss to retained earnings. Accordingly, upon adoption, the Company reclassified $7.8 million of tax benefits associated with its hedging activities from accumulated other comprehensive loss to retained earnings. Tax effects unrelated to the 2017 Act are released from accumulated other comprehensive loss using either the specific identification approach or the portfolio approach based on the nature of the underlying item. In August 2017, the FASB issued an amendment to the guidance on derivatives and hedging. The amendment expands and refines hedge accounting for both nonfinancial and financial risk components and aligns the recognition and presentation of the effects of the hedging instrument and the hedged item in the financial statements. The guidance eliminates the requirement to separately measure and report hedge ineffectiveness and generally requires the entire change in the fair value of a hedging instrument to be presented in the same income statement line as the hedged item. The guidance also eases certain documentation and assessment requirements and modifies the accounting for components excluded from the assessment of hedge effectiveness. The guidance is effective for periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those annual periods. The Company early adopted this guidance as of January 1, 2018. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. Certain provisions of the guidance required modifications to existing disclosure requirements on a prospective basis. See Note 8 for disclosures relating to the Company's derivative instruments and hedging activities. In March 2017, the FASB issued an amendment on the guidance on retirement benefits. The amendment requires that employers report the service cost component of net benefit cost in the same line item as other compensation costs arising from services rendered by the pertinent employees. The other components of net benefit cost are required to be presented in the consolidated statements of operations separately from the service cost component and outside a subtotal of income from operations. Additionally, only the service cost component of net benefit cost is eligible for capitalization. The guidance was effective for periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those annual periods. The Company adopted the guidance related to the presentation of the service cost component and the other components of net benefit cost in the income statement retrospectively, and the guidance related to the capitalization of the service cost component of net benefit cost was adopted prospectively. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017. The Company elected to apply the practical expedient that permits the use of previously disclosed service cost and other costs from the prior year’s employee benefit plan footnote as appropriate estimates when retrospectively changing the presentation of these costs in the consolidated statements of operations. In January 2017, the FASB issued an amendment to the guidance on business combinations. The amendment clarifies the definition of a business and provides a screen to determine when an integrated set of assets and activities is not a business. The screen requires that when substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired (or disposed of) is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets, the set is not a business. The guidance was effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those periods. In October 2016, the FASB issued an amendment to the guidance on income taxes. The amendment eliminates the deferral of the tax effects of intra-entity asset transfers other than inventory. As a result, the income tax consequences from the intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory and associated changes to deferred taxes will be recognized when the transfer occurs. The guidance was effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim reporting periods within those annual reporting periods. The Company adopted this new standard using the modified retrospective method. Upon adoption, the Company recorded a $2.6 million increase to retained earnings, a $50.3 million decrease to other assets, and a $52.9 million decrease to long-term taxes payable. In addition, the Company reclassified $46.5 million from long-term taxes payable to deferred income taxes, and also made this reclassification in the prior year's consolidated condensed balance sheet to conform to the current year presentation. In August 2016, the FASB issued an amendment to the guidance on the statement of cash flows. The standard addresses eight specific cash flow issues, and is intended to reduce the diversity in practice around how certain transactions are classified within the statement of cash flows. The guidance was effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. This guidance impacts how the Company classifies contingent consideration payments made after a business combination. Contingent consideration payments that are not made soon after the acquisition date will be classified as a financing activity up to the amount of the contingent consideration liability recognized at the acquisition date, with any excess classified as an operating activity. Contingent consideration payments made soon after the acquisition date will continue to be classified as an investing activity. The Company did not make any contingent consideration payments in the nine months ended September 30, 2017; therefore, no retrospective adjustments were required. The adoption of the other provisions of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. In May 2014, the FASB issued an update to the accounting guidance on revenue recognition. The new guidance provides a comprehensive, principles-based approach to revenue recognition, and supersedes most previous revenue recognition guidance. The core principle of the guidance is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The guidance also requires improved disclosures on the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue that is recognized. In August 2015, the FASB issued an update to the guidance to defer the effective date by one year, such that the new standard will be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017 and interim periods therein. The new guidance can be applied retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented (retrospective method), or retrospectively with the cumulative effect of the change recognized at the date of the initial application (modified retrospective method). The Company adopted the new guidance on January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective method to contracts that were not completed as of January 1, 2018. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. See Note 3 for disclosures relating to the Company's revenue recognition. New Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted In August 2018, the FASB issued an amendment to the accounting guidance on cloud computing service arrangements. The guidance aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software. The guidance also requires an entity to expense the capitalized implementation costs of a hosting arrangement that is a service contract over the term of the hosting arrangement. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently evaluating the impact the guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements. In August 2018, the FASB issued an amendment to the accounting guidance on retirement benefits. The guidance modifies the disclosure requirements for employers that sponsor defined benefit pension or other postretirement plans. The guidance is effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2020 and must be applied retrospectively to all periods presented. The Company does not expect the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements. In August 2018, the FASB issued an amendment to the accounting guidance on fair value measurements. The guidance modifies the disclosure requirements on fair value measurements, including the removal of disclosures of the amount of and reasons for transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, the policy for timing of transfers between levels, and the valuation processes for Level 3 fair value measurements. The guidance also adds certain disclosure requirements related to Level 3 fair value measurements. The guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. The Company does not expect the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements. In June 2016, the FASB issued an amendment to the guidance on the measurement of credit losses on financial instruments. The amendment updates the guidance for measuring and recording credit losses on financial assets measured at amortized cost by replacing the “incurred loss” model with an “expected loss” model. Accordingly, these financial assets will be presented at the net amount expected to be collected. The amendment also requires that credit losses related to available-for-sale debt securities be recorded as an allowance through net income rather than reducing the carrying amount under the current, other-than-temporary-impairment model. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for annual periods after December 15, 2018. The Company does not expect the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued an amendment to the guidance on leases. The amendment improves transparency and comparability among companies by recognizing lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and by disclosing key information about leasing arrangements. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. A modified retrospective transition approach is required upon adoption. Reporting entities can elect to adjust comparative periods and record the cumulative effect adjustment at the beginning of the earliest comparative period or to not adjust comparative periods and record the cumulative effect adjustment at the effective date. The Company plans to apply the new guidance effective January 1, 2019 and not adjust comparative periods. The Company's assessment of the amended standard remains ongoing, including lease data extraction process, implementation of a leasing software system, and evaluation of potential changes and enhancements to internal controls. The Company believes the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact to its consolidated balance sheet due to the recognition of new right-of-use assets and lease liabilities. The Company is unable to quantify the impact at this time as the ultimate impact of adopting this new guidance will depend on the total amount of lease commitments as of the adoption date.
Revenue Recognition	Revenue Recognition Revenue is recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to the customer in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the Company expects to be entitled in exchange for those products or services. The Company generates nearly all of its revenue from direct product sales and sales of products under consignment arrangements. Revenue from direct product sales is recognized at a point in time upon delivery of the product. Revenue from sales of consigned inventory is recognized at a point in time when the Company is notified by the customer that the product has been used. Notification is usually through the replenishing of the inventory, and the Company periodically reviews consignment inventories to confirm the accuracy of customer reporting. The Company also generates a small portion of its revenue from service contracts, and recognizes revenue from service contracts ratably over the term of the contracts. Sales taxes and other similar taxes that the Company collects concurrent with revenue-producing activities are excluded from revenue. The Company does not typically have any significant unusual payment terms beyond 90 days in its contracts with customers. In addition, the Company receives royalty payments for the licensing of certain intellectual property and recognizes the royalty when the subsequent sale of product using the intellectual property occurs. The amount of consideration the Company ultimately receives varies depending upon the return terms, sales rebates, discounts, and other incentives that the Company may offer, which are accounted for as variable consideration when estimating the amount of revenue to recognize. The estimate of variable consideration requires significant judgment. The Company includes estimated amounts in the transaction price to the extent it is probable that a significant reversal of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur when the uncertainty associated with the variable consideration is resolved. The estimates of variable consideration and determination of whether to include estimated amounts in the transaction price are based largely upon an assessment of historical payment experience, historical relationship to revenues, estimated customer inventory levels, and current contract sales terms with direct and indirect customers. The Company's sales adjustment related to distributor rebates given to the Company's United States distributors represents the difference between the Company's sales price to the distributor and the negotiated price to be paid by the end-customer. This distributor rebate is recorded as a reduction to sales and a reduction to the distributor's accounts receivable at the time of sale to a distributor. The Company periodically monitors current pricing trends and distributor inventory levels to ensure the credit for future distributor rebates is fairly stated. The Company also offers volume rebates to certain group purchasing organizations ("GPOs") and customers based upon target sales levels. Volume rebates offered to GPOs are recorded as a reduction to sales and an obligation to the GPOs, as the Company expects to pay in cash. Volume rebates offered to customers are recorded as a reduction to sales and accounts receivable if the Company expects a net payment from the customer, or as an obligation to the customer if the Company expects to pay in cash. The provision for volume rebates is estimated based on customers' contracted rebate programs, projected sales levels, and historical experience of rebates paid. The Company periodically monitors its customer rebate programs to ensure that the allowance and liability for accrued rebates is fairly stated. Product returns are typically not significant because returns are generally not allowed unless the product is damaged at time of receipt. In limited circumstances, the Company may allow customers to return previously purchased products, such as for next-generation product offerings. For these transactions, the Company defers recognition of revenue on the sale of the earlier generation product based upon an estimate of the amount of product to be returned when the next-generation products are shipped to the customer. Contracts with Multiple Performance Obligations A limited number of the Company’s contracts with customers contain multiple performance obligations. For these contracts, the transaction price is allocated to each performance obligation based on its relative standalone selling price charged to other customers. Deferred Revenue The Company sells separately priced service contracts, which range from 12 months to 36 months, to owners of its hemodynamic monitors. The Company invoices the customer the total amount of consideration at the inception of the contract and recognizes revenue ratably over the term of the contract. As of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, $6.6 million and $4.2 million, respectively, of deferred revenue associated with outstanding service contracts was recorded in “Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities” and "Other Long-term Liabilities." During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, the Company recognized as revenue $0.8 million and $2.1 million, respectively, that was included in the balance of deferred revenue as of December 31, 2017. The Company applies the optional exemption of not disclosing the amount of the transaction price allocated to unsatisfied performance obligations for contracts with an original expected duration of one year or less.