To investigate the durability of stents a fixture has been developed which allows up to 30 stents to be accommodated simultaneously. This fixture, with an electric torsion drive (1 Nm), is used in combination with an HC 10 servo-hydraulic testing machine (10 kN) and allows both separate and superimposed loading of the stents with compression and torsion (5 Hz at ± 60°). The gripped
area of the stents can also be provided with a fluid bath to enable testing under physiological conditions.