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Rick Steeds is an NHS Consultant Cardiologist at University Hospitals in Birmingham, specialising in the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of valvular heart disease and in the management of cardiomyopathy, including rare and metabolic diseases. He is Clinical Lead for the Valve Surveillance clinic, caring for patients with single and multiple heart valve diseases in the left heart – aortic and mitral – and right heart – tricuspid and pulmonary.

His practice incorporates out-patient and in-patient management, using advanced echocardiography, cardio-pulmonary exercise stress testing and cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging in management of single and complex valve diseases.

He is Clinical Cardiology Lead for cardiovascular imaging, incorporating echocardiography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging. He is the immediate past President of the British Society of Echocardiography. He is an Honorary Reader at the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Birmingham, has published more than 200 peer-reviewed research articles.

He is a keen tennis player who has enjoyed sport at all levels when finding the time between ordering three teenage children into line!

Diseases, Medical Tests and Treatments

Advanced echocardiography, including quantitative valve

assessment for diagnosis and prognosis, myocardial deformation and contrast to

optimise heart muscle size and function.

Contrast echocardiography for investigation of stroke of

unknown cause and tracking chemotherapy-related cardiac changes.

Transoesophageal echocardiography with 3D visualisation and

characterisation of valve lesions and failure.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging to track changes

in heart muscle size, function and investigate tissue characteristics of

myocardial disease, both inherited and acquired

My special interest is in heart valve disease of all types, including the most common which are aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation, but ranging to the most unusual, including tricuspid regurgitation due to tumours and drug effects. I am Clinical Lead for our Valve Surveillance service, and am experienced over many years in tracking changes in valve function and timing referral for surgery and intervention to minimise risk and optimise outcome.

I am also experienced in looking after patients with cardiomyopathy, again ranging from more common dilated cardiomyopathy to ultra rare diseases, including Fabry cardiomyopathy.

In both valve disease and cardiomyopathy, I lecture on a national and international level on a regular basis and am involved in research programmes investigating new methods for assessment and trialling new therapies for those who need it.