HeartLung launches anti-CCTA campaign at SCCT 2026

HeartLung Corporation is rolling out a new campaign at the SCCT 2026 conference in San Diego to argue that non-contrast CT with AI-CVD can deliver broader preventive insight at lower cost than contrast-enhanced AI-CCTA plaque analysis. The company says the effort is aimed at physicians, payers, imaging centers and patients as debate grows over how to screen asymptomatic adults for heart-attack risk.

Why it matters: - HeartLung is trying to shift preventive cardiology away from a plaque-only focus and toward a broader view of total patient risk. - The campaign targets asymptomatic adults, where the company argues a lower-cost non-contrast scan may be enough for prevention planning. - The message lands as AI-CCTA vendors expand marketing around plaque analysis for heart-attack prevention.

What happened: - HeartLung Corporation launched its "Why Pay More and Get Less?" campaign at SCCT 2026, the 21st Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. - SCCT 2026 runs July 9-12, 2026, at the Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center in the San Diego area. - The campaign questions the push to use contrast-enhanced coronary CT angiography with AI plaque analysis as a routine prevention strategy for people without chest pain or symptoms. - HeartLung plans to present the campaign at Booth 505 during the July 10-12 exhibit period.

The details: - The campaign asks physicians, imaging centers, payers and patients to compare AI-CCTA with AI-CVD, HeartLung's non-contrast CT prevention platform. - HeartLung says AI-CVD can generate CAC, AI-CAC and 10+ cardiovascular and cardiometabolic reports from one eligible non-contrast CT scan. - The company says AI-CVD can also quantify thoracic aortic calcium, aortic valve calcium, mitral valve calcium, cardiac chamber volumes, left ventricular mass, chamber-ratio measurements, aorta and pulmonary artery size, epicardial fat, visceral fat, skeletal muscle density, liver density, fatty liver support, lung density, bone mineral density support and more. - HeartLung says the platform can also integrate with its AutoLung AI for lung cancer assessment workflows. - The company says the AI-CVD app demo at SCCT will include scan upload, AI processing, report generation, clinical review, patient access and report-sharing workflows. - HeartLung says AI-CVD is an opportunistic, AI-powered quantitative imaging tool for clinician review, not a standalone diagnostic or risk-prediction product. - The company says AI-CVD is intended to help physicians decide whether additional diagnostic tests are appropriate for preventive healthcare planning. - HeartLung says patients with chest pain, concerning symptoms or high-risk findings should follow clinician-directed diagnostic pathways, which may include CCTA, stress testing or invasive angiography. - HeartLung says no new hardware or local software installation is required, and hospitals or imaging centers can connect PACS to the HeartLung cloud or upload scans manually. - The company says it returns AI-generated DICOM and PDF reports.

Between the lines: - The campaign is as much a market challenge as a clinical one, with HeartLung directly naming AI-CCTA players including Cleerly, HeartFlow, Elucid and Caristo. - HeartLung is arguing that visually rich plaque maps can look more advanced without necessarily proving better prevention for asymptomatic adults. - The company is framing the issue as "the vulnerable patient" versus "the vulnerable plaque," which broadens the value proposition beyond coronary plaque alone. - The argument depends on whether broader body-level biomarkers change management enough to justify the added cost, contrast exposure and workflow burden of CCTA.

What's next: - HeartLung will use SCCT 2026 to market AI-CVD through booth materials, app demonstrations and clinician discussions. - The company is inviting attendees to compare AI-CVD against AI-CCTA on prevention value, report breadth and cost. - HeartLung says the campaign will continue pressing for clinical evidence that contrast-enhanced plaque analysis improves prevention outcomes in asymptomatic adults.

The bottom line: - HeartLung is betting that preventive cardiology buyers will choose broader, non-contrast AI imaging over more expensive plaque-focused CCTA when the goal is whole-patient risk assessment.