This paper describes the development of a very low-power preamplifier intended for use in pasteless-electrode recording of the human electrocardiogram. The expected input signal range is 100 microV-10 mV from a lead-II electrode configuration. The amplifier provides a gain of 43 dB in a 3-dB bandwidth of 0.05 Hz-2 kHz with a defined high input impedance of 75 M omega. It uses a driven common electrode to enhance rejection of common-mode interfering signals, including low-frequency motion artifact, achieving a common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR) of better than 80 dB over its entire bandwidth. The gain and phase characteristics meet the recommendations of the American Heart Association, ensuring low distortion of the output ECG signal and making it suitable for clinical monitoring. The amplifier has a power consumption of 30 microW operating from a 3.3-V battery and is intended for use in small, lightweight, portable electrocardiographic equipment and heart-rate monitoring instrumentation.