Half of All Heart Attacks Happen to People with Normal Cholesterol. Vitals Vault’s New CT Scan Detects the Disease Blood Tests Can Miss
The Complete Metabolic Heart Scan — led by NYT-bestselling physician Dr. Robert Lufkin — delivers coronary calcium scoring, arterial age, and liver fat quantification in a single 15-minute, non-invasive study. Available nationwide starting at $399.
Seattle, WA, United States, 4th Apr 2026 – Vitals Vault, the health intelligence platform offering 1,000+ lab tests and AI-driven clinical analysis, has launched the Complete Metabolic Heart Scan: a CT-based screening program that directly detects cardiovascular and metabolic disease rather than estimating risk from blood markers alone.
The scan is led by Dr. Robert Lufkin, MD — Vitals Vault’s Chief Medical Officer, former UCLA and USC medical school professor, and New York Times bestselling author of Lies I Taught in Medical School. It is available nationwide through imaging partner centers in all 50 states, typically within 30 minutes of a patient’s home.
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death globally. Yet the standard screening approach — cholesterol panels, family history questionnaires, and risk calculators — relies on probability models. Roughly half of all heart attacks occur in individuals whose cholesterol levels were within normal range.
“Traditional blood and genetic tests estimate your risk. This scan shows whether the disease is already there,” said Dr. Lufkin. “Calcified plaque in the coronary arteries is not a prediction. It’s a finding. And it changes the clinical conversation entirely.”
One Scan. Three Reports. A Complete Metabolic Picture.
The Complete Metabolic Heart Scan delivers three critical assessments from a single, non-invasive 15-minute CT study:
1. CT Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) Score
The CAC score measures calcified plaque in the coronary arteries — offering direct visualization of atherosclerosis that blood panels cannot detect. Widely regarded as one of the strongest independent predictors of future cardiac events, the CAC score separates individuals who have early-stage disease from those who don’t, regardless of cholesterol levels.
A score of zero is among the most powerful negative risk findings in cardiology. A score above zero initiates an entirely different clinical pathway — one that is impossible to trigger from blood work alone.
2. CT Arterial Age
Calcium buildup progresses at rates that vary by age, sex, and genetics. CT Arterial Age translates raw plaque data into a personalized biological age of the cardiovascular system — answering a question that no blood panel can: Are your arteries aging faster than you are?
This metric enables individuals to compare their vascular age to their chronological age and track whether interventions — diet, exercise, medication, or supplementation — are slowing or reversing arterial aging over time.
3. CT Liver Fat Quantification
Liver fat accumulation is one of the earliest measurable signs of metabolic dysfunction, often preceding insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease by years. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects an estimated 1 in 4 adults globally, the majority of whom are undiagnosed.
CT Liver Fat Quantification provides a direct, objective measurement — not a blood-based estimate — of hepatic fat content. This enables early intervention before symptoms develop and gives individuals a baseline they can track across future scans.
What Makes This Different: Intelligence-Driven Imaging
Unlike standalone CAC scan providers, Vitals Vault integrates imaging into its broader health intelligence platform. For the thousands of customers who have already completed biomarker testing, the scan adds a critical new dimension:
- The platform’s 186-rule intelligence engine analyzes each customer’s lab results, health profile, and clinical history. Users flagged for cardiovascular risk markers — elevated ApoB, Lipoprotein(a), hs-CRP, Homocysteine, or fasting insulin — receive personalized recommendations to add the Complete Metabolic Heart Scan.
- Scan results are delivered alongside existing biomarker data, creating a unified view of cardiovascular and metabolic health that neither imaging nor lab work can provide alone.
- Over time, repeat scans and labs feed a longitudinal feedback loop — connecting what you changed to what your body did in response.
“No one else is connecting lab intelligence and imaging intelligence into a single platform,” said Syed Jafri, Founder and CEO. “A CAC score without context is a number. A CAC score alongside your ApoB trajectory, your inflammatory markers, and your metabolic profile is a clinical picture. That’s what we deliver.”
Pricing That Resets the Category
A standalone hospital CAC scan provides a single number with minimal interpretation. The Complete Metabolic Heart Scan delivers three reports, integration with the customer’s biomarker data, and a clinical context layer that standalone imaging cannot replicate — at a comparable price point.
How It Works
The process is designed to be completed in days, not weeks:
- Sign up at vitalsvault.com/scans and enter your zip code to match with a nearby imaging partner.
- A local imaging center contacts you within 96 hours to schedule the study. Imaging partners are available in all 50 states, with centers typically within 30 minutes of your location.
- Complete a 15-minute, non-invasive CT scan at the partner center — no injections, no fasting, no preparation required.
- Receive three personalized reports within 96 hours of scan completion, delivered directly through the Vitals Vault platform alongside your existing health data.
Coming Next: Advanced MRI Screening
Vitals Vault has announced that comprehensive full-body MRI screening is in development, featuring advanced imaging protocols that go beyond current consumer MRI offerings. An early-access waitlist is now open at vitalsvault.com/scans for priority pricing when the service launches.
A Platform, Not a Test
The Complete Metabolic Heart Scan is the latest addition to Vitals Vault’s expanding health intelligence platform, which now includes:
- 1,000+ lab tests and panels across 21 clinical categories
- Comprehensive biomarker panels testing 131, 156, or 168 markers ($99 / $199 / $399) — no subscription required
- Quick Health Checks starting at $29 for targeted screening
- 90-page AI Clinical Reports with functional optimal ranges and personalized action plans
- Biological Age Testing via the PhenoAge algorithm
- AI Health Assistant for clinical Q&A on results and protocols
- Historical Lab Upload for longitudinal trend tracking across providers
- 186-rule Intelligence Engine generating personalized 12-month testing plans
All services are available through 2,000+ Quest Diagnostics locations nationwide (lab tests) and imaging partner centers in all 50 states (scans). HSA/FSA eligible. No subscription required.
About Vitals Vault
Vitals Vault, Inc. is a Seattle-based health intelligence company making comprehensive, science-driven health insights accessible to everyone — without subscription fees. The platform combines precision biomarker analysis, AI-powered clinical reports, biological age testing, advanced CT imaging, and a proprietary clinical intelligence engine. Services are HSA/FSA eligible and available nationwide.
For more information, visit www.vitalsvault.com
Company Details
Organization: Vitals Vault, Inc.
Contact Person: Media Relations
Website: https://www.vitalsvault.com/
Email: Send Email
Contact Number: +18887885326
City: Seattle
State: WA
Country: United States
Release Id: 04042643640