An apparatus for generating ECG recordings and a method for using the same are disclosed. The apparatus includes a handheld device having four electrodes on an outer surface thereof, the handheld device having an extended configuration and a storage configuration. The apparatus also includes a controller configured to measure signals between the electrodes to provide signals that are used to generate an ECG recording selected from the group consisting of standard lead traces and precordial traces. When the handheld device is in the extended configuration and the first and second electrodes contact a first hand of a patient such that the first and second electrodes contact different locations on the first hand, the third electrode is in contact with a location on the patient's other hand and the fourth electrode contacts a point on the patient's body that depends on the particular trace being measured.