Apparatus for the rapid measurement of electrocardiographic body surface potentials

Abstract

A method for the rapid and reproducible recording of 24 chest electrode potentials is described. Rigid electrodes are equally spaced around the thorax in three rows of eight. The electrodes move radially and are spring loaded so as to maintain contact with the skin regardless of the shape of the subject's torso. The inclusion of an impedance convertor in the electrode assembly removes the necessity for using electrode cream. Although equal spacing of the electrodes around the thorax is inefficient in terms of information content per electrode the attention to detail required for electrode placement using the described system is minimised as compared with other multiple lead systems. Furthermore, the principles adopted in the design and construction of the apparatus do not limit the number of chest electrodes to 24.