Clinical expertise
Dr Andres Rico‑Armada is a consultant paediatric cardiologist specialising in the diagnosis and management of heart conditions in children, including:
- athlete’s heart (athletic heart syndrome)
- cardiomyopathy
- myocarditis
- heart failure
- congenital heart disease
- inherited cardiac conditions
He provides expert paediatric cardiac assessment and tailored care, including:
- sports cardiology for young athletes and exercise-related heart concerns
- paediatric echocardiography, including transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE), for detailed cardiac imaging
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
Dr Rico‑Armada has published research in paediatric cardiology, heart failure and transplant immunology, including:
- Heart failure in children in the VAD era: Examining outcomes for children admitted with first‑episode heart failure due to heart muscle disease
- Immune therapy in paediatric heart transplantation: Research on regulatory T cells and their role in improving outcomes after heart transplant in children
