A low-cost thermoelectrically cooled tissue clamp for in vitro cyclic loading and load-to-failure testing of muscles and tendons

In vitro cyclic loading and load-to-failure testing of muscles and tendons require a reliable linking device between tissues and the actuator that can transmit high loads without slippage or tissue damage. This article describes a simple custom-made thermoelectrically cooled freeze clamp. The effectiveness of the clamp to transmit loads without tissue slippage was evaluated on 10 canine quadriceps femoris myo-tendinous junctions in both load-to-failure and cyclic loading settings. Dynamic cyclic loading during an extensive period of time was successfully achieved. Loads up to 4.84 kN were applied in quasi-static conditions without evidence of clamp slippage or failure.