The Mechanical Characterisation of Bovine Embolus Analogues Under Various Loading Conditions

Embolus Analogues (EAs) can provide understanding of the mechanical characteristics of blood clots of cardiac origin. Bovine EAs ( n = 29) were fabricated with varying concentrations of thrombin (0–20 NIHU/ml blood). Histological staining confirmed that EA composition compared sufficiently with human samples reported in literature. EAs were mechanically described under seven testing conditions: tensile, compression, shear wave ultrasound elastography (SWE), parallel plate rheometry, indentation, creep and relaxation. The Young modulus of bovine EAs in tension varied from 7 kPa (5% strain) to 84 kPa (50% strain). The compressive Young modulus increased with increasing thrombin concentration, which was in agreement with the SWE results. There was no significant difference in Young modulus throughout the clot ( p