Dr. Nelson Amaral

Dr Nelson Amaral MD(Res) PhD MRCP | Consultant Cardiologist for Symptoms, Heart Scans & Preventative Checks

Facing concerns about your heart — or receiving an unexpected "abnormal" result on a health check—can be unsettling, but you do not have to navigate it alone. As a London Consultant Cardiologist and Associate Professor at University College London (UCL) with over 22 years of clinical experience, my goal is to replace anxiety with definitive diagnostic answers, clear communication, and genuine peace of mind.

When you come to my clinic, you will never feel rushed. I take the time to listen carefully to your story, review any health-assessment or smartwatch printouts you bring with you, and arrange rapid-access, high-precision heart scans that I personally interpret and walk through with you on screen.

When Do Patients Come to See Me?

Whether you are experiencing acute symptoms or seeking proactive reassurance, I investigate and manage the full spectrum of cardiac presentations:

• Palpitations, Fluttering or Skipped Heartbeats: Investigating racing heartbeats, nocturnal ectopic beats, Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT), and Atrial Fibrillation (AF/AFib) — even when a routine 10-second GP ECG was reported as "normal".
• Abnormal Health Check Results (Vitality, Bupa, Aviva, Corporate or Commercial Scans): Providing rapid specialist sign-off and structural investigation following a borderline or abnormal resting ECG (such as bundle branch block, LVH, or T-wave changes), raised cholesterol, or a heart murmur.
• Smartwatch & Wearable Alerts (Apple Watch, Fitbit, Whoop, Garmin): Separating harmless sensor artefacts from true arrhythmias when your watch flags high heart rate, low heart rate (bradycardia), abnormal Heart Rate Variability (HRV), or AFib.
• Chest Pain, Tightness or Heaviness: Differentiating exertional angina, coronary artery disease, and microvascular spasm from non-cardiac causes using advanced imaging rather than outdated treadmill tests.
• Dizziness, Lightheadedness or Blackouts (Syncope): Ruling out structural valve problems, heart muscle conditions, and electrical pauses.
• Breathlessness, Unexplained Fatigue & Heart Murmurs: Assessing early heart muscle stiffness, heart failure, and leaky or narrowed heart valves.
• High Blood Pressure (Hypertension), Raised Cholesterol & Family History: Proactive risk stratification for busy professionals and patients with a family history of premature heart disease.
• Pre-Operative Cardiac Clearance: Rapid cardiac assessment and echocardiography prior to orthopaedic, general, or other non-cardiac surgery to ensure your operation proceeds safely and on schedule.

Specialist Diagnostic Investigations (Personally Interpreted by Dr Amaral)

To move from guesswork to structural certainty, I arrange and report on state-of-the-art cardiac tests across my North, North West, and Central London clinics:

• Echocardiography (Transthoracic Heart Ultrasound): Detailed colour-Doppler imaging to check your heart muscle thickness, pumping function, and heart valves.
• Contrast CT Coronary Angiogram (CTCA) & Coronary Calcium Scoring: High-definition 3D scanning to visualise the coronary arteries directly and detect both calcified and soft (non-calcified) plaque.
• 24-Hour, 48-Hour & 7-Day Holter ECG Patch Monitoring: Prolonged, comfortable home rhythm recording to capture intermittent palpitations or dizzy spells exactly when they happen.
• Stress Echocardiography: Assessing how your heart muscle and valves perform under exercise or pharmacological load.
• 24-Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM): Measuring true daytime and nocturnal blood pressure patterns to guide precision treatment.
• Comprehensive Private Heart Screening: Bespoke preventative cardiac check-ups tailored to your age, lifestyle, and family risk.

Why Patients Choose My Practice

• 100% Fee-Assured Insurance Cover (Zero Shortfalls): I am a fully recognised, Fee-Assured Consultant Cardiologist with Vitality, WPA, Bupa (Open Referral Network), Aviva, and AXA Health, meaning eligible consultations and diagnostic scans are covered within your insurer's fee schedule without unexpected out-of-pocket shortfalls. Transparent self-pay packages are also available.
• Academic & Frontline NHS Leadership: Alongside my private practice, I serve as Consultant Cardiologist & Clinical Lead for Heart Failure and Perioperative Cardiology at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and Associate Professor at UCL. I completed specialist fellowships at King’s College Hospital and the Royal Brompton Hospital, hold two research doctorates (MD(Res) and PhD), and lead the British Heart Foundation (BHF) CaRe-CT coronary imaging implementation programme.
• Clear, Jargon-Free Explanations: I explain every scan image and test result in plain English so you leave knowing precisely what is happening, what is benign, and how we will protect your long-term health.
• Multilingual Consultations: Consultations are available in English, German, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Clinic Locations Across North, North West & Central London

I offer face-to-face, video, and telephone consultations at:

• The Hendon Hospital (Circle Health Group): 46–50 Sunny Gardens Road, Hendon, London NW4 1RP
• Bishops Wood Hospital (Circle Health Group): Rickmansworth Road, Northwood, HA6 2JW
• The Clementine Churchill Hospital (Circle Health Group): Sudbury Hill, Harrow, HA1 3RX
• Royal Free Hospital Private Patients Unit (PPU): Pond Street, Hampstead, London NW3 2QG
• The National Heart Clinic: 69 Harley Street, Marylebone, London W1G 8QW

Bookings, Insurance Pre-Authorisation & Educational Videos

• Direct Practice Team: 020 3150 0042 | hello@thelondoncardiologist.co.uk
• Website, Self-Pay Fees & Video Guides: www.thelondoncardiologist.co.uk

Professional Credentials & Qualifications

• Consultant Cardiologist & Clinical Lead (Heart Failure & Perioperative Cardiology) – Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
• Associate Professor  – University College London (UCL)
• Clinical Lead – Barnet Community Heart Failure Service & Heart Failure Virtual Ward
• PhD (Cardiovascular Research) – King’s College London, UK
• MD(Res) & State Examination in Medicine – Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf (Germany) & University of Bern (Switzerland)
• MRCP (UK) – Membership of the Royal College of Physicians (London)