May 17, 2017 — Contego Medical LLC announced recently that it has received CE Marking of its Vanguard IEP Peripheral Balloon Angioplasty System with Integrated Embolic Protection (IEP). The company intends to launch the Vanguard IEP System in Europe to endovascular specialists performing lower limb angioplasty procedures.
The Vanguard IEP System represents the latest innovation of Contego's IEP technology, incorporating a peripheral angioplasty balloon and distal embolic filter on the same catheter. The system protects the lower limbs during angioplasty without the need for additional devices or exchanges. The Vanguard IEP System has an over-the-wire design with a sheathless integrated 150-micron pore filter distal to the angioplasty balloon. It is the first filter to feature in-vivo adjustability to suit varying vessel sizes and maximize capture efficiency.
"The Vanguard IEP System is an important step toward enhancing safety for patients undergoing peripheral angioplasty for occlusive disease," said Prof. Thomas Zeller, director of the Department of Angiology at Universitaets-Herzzentrum Freiburg in Bad Krozingen, Germany and principal investigator of the upcoming Vanguard clinical study. "This device will be of particular importance to patients at high risk for distal embolization, such as those with acute limb ischemia or chronic total occlusions, as well as those at higher risk should embolization occur, such as patients with critical limb ischemia and diabetes mellitus."
Contego has established a premier distribution network throughout Europe to sell the Vanguard IEP System. Their first IEP device, the Paladin Carotid Post-Dilation Balloon System was launched in Europe in 2016.
For more information: www.contegomedical.com
September 12, 2025 
