St. Jude Medical Inc. confirmed Tuesday that it has laid off about 200 people in sales, service and support positions across the country.

The restructuring should have minimal impact on local operations of the Little Canada-based device maker, which employ roughly 2,400 people, said spokeswoman Sara Spafford. The company has about 15,000 employees worldwide.

Spafford said in a statement that the company "is focused on maintaining operating discipline and these cuts are a result of spending at [the U.S. division] that was above the level prescribed by our operating plan during the second quarter."

In the second quarter, ended July 4, St. Jude reported revenue of $1.2 billion, a 4 percent increase compared with the same period last year. Earnings of $219 million met analysts' expectations at 63 cents a share. But the company's biggest division -- which makes pacemakers and heart defibrillators -- reported a 1 percent decrease in sales, to $704 million.

Leerink Swann analyst Rick Wise said, "We would imagine that after a slightly disappointing [second quarter], senior management might be sending a message to the troops that underperforming employees could be affected."

The restructuring, he wrote in a note to investors Tuesday, "is targeted towards optimizing U.S. sales force performance."

St. Jude's stock closed Tuesday at $37.11, down 46 cents.

Janet Moore • 612-673-7752