Clinical expertise
Dr Andres Rico-Armada is a paediatric cardiologist with specialist expertise in treating the following conditions:
- cardiomyopathy
- myocarditis
- heart failure
- sports cardiology-athlete’s heart
- congenital heart disease
- inherited cardiac conditions
He also performs paediatric echocardiography and transoesophageal echocardiography.
Locations
Our specialists provides care at the following locations:
Biography
Dr Andres Rico-Armada is a Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist in London with specialist expertise in cardiomyopathy, heart failure, inherited cardiac conditions and sports cardiology.
He graduated in Medicine from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain, in 2009 and completed his training in Paediatrics at Vall d’Hebron Hospital in 2014. He went on to specialise in paediatric cardiology at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle and Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, where his subspecialist training focused on cardiomyopathy, heart failure and transplantation, alongside experience in inherited cardiovascular diseases.
He has a particular interest in paediatric sports cardiology and is dedicated to helping children and young people with cardiac conditions participate in exercise and sport as safely and confidently as possible. To deepen his expertise in this field, he completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Sports Cardiology at City St George’s, University of London, in 2025, delivered by the sports cardiology team at St George’s Hospital, one of the leading sports cardiology services in the UK.
After working as a consultant in paediatric heart failure and transplantation at Great Ormond Street Hospital, he joined Royal Brompton Hospital in 2022, where he has led the development and expansion of the paediatric cardiomyopathy and heart failure service during its integration with Evelina London Children’s Hospital, following the merger with Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.
He has particular expertise in the assessment and management of children and young people with cardiomyopathy, inherited heart conditions, heart failure, symptoms related to exercise, and questions around safe participation in sport.
Research
Dr Rico‑Armada has long held a deep interest in advanced heart failure, and during his tenure as a transplant consultant he contributed with research on cell therapy for paediatric heart transplant patients.
His most recent work has expanded to encompass novel therapies for both heart failure and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. He is actively forging partnerships to enrol our hospital in cutting‑edge clinical trials, ensuring patients gain early access to the latest treatment innovations. Equally passionate about prevention, he is spearheading the development of the first paediatric sport cardiology clinic in the UK, aiming to screen young athletes and detect cardiac risks before complications arise.
Publications
Rico-Armada A, Crossland DS, Coats L, et al. Outcome for children following admission to hospital with a first episode of heart failure, due to heart muscle disease, in the ventricular assist device (VAD) era. Cardiology in the Young. 2019;29(7):888-892.
Romano, M., Sen, M., Scottà, C., Alhabbab, R. Y., Rico-Armada, A., Lechler, R. I., Burch, M., & Lombardi, G. (2021). Isolation and expansion of thymus-derived regulatory T cells for use in pediatric heart transplant patients. European journal of immunology, 51(8), 2086–2092.
