Abstract: There is disclosed an electrode arrangement for taking electrocardiograms, suitable for use when limited information must be determined rapidly. The arrangement consists of a small rigid plate having four electrode posts mounted thereon. Three of the posts are secured in slots which extend radially outward from a fixed central post, the positions of the outer posts depending on whether the patient is an infant or an adult. In an emergency, the apparatus is simply pressed against the chest of a patient, and conventional ECG leads are attached to the posts. The right-leg lead is attached to the center post, and the left-leg, right-arm and left-arm leads are attached to the outer posts. Preferably, the arrangement is left permanently attached to the leads of an ECG machine so that, in case of an emergency, the set-up time (which includes the application of electrode jelly to the electrode posts) takes only several seconds.