Clinical expertise
Dr Andres Rico-Armada is a paediatric cardiologist with specialist expertise in treating the following conditions:
- cardiomyopathy
- myocarditis
- heart failure
- 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 graduated in medicine from the University Autonoma of Barcelona, Spain, in 2009, before completing his training in paediatrics at Vall d’Hebron Hospital in 2014.
He specialised in paediatric cardiology at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London. His subspecialist training focused on cardiomyopathy, heart failure, and transplantation, training with the inherited cardiovascular disease’s team and the heart failure and transplant teams.
After serving as a heart failure and transplant consultant at GOSH, Dr Rico-Armada joined Royal Brompton Hospital in 2022, where he has played a pivotal role in expanding the cardiomyopathy and heart failure service with Evelina London Children’s Hospital, following the merger with Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust- now the largest paediatric cardiomyopathy unit in the UK.
Another of his interests is the emerging field of paediatric sports cardiology and is currently undertaking a postgraduate programme in this specialty at City St George’s, University of London, delivered by the sport cardiology team from St George’s Hospital.
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.
