CARSK stands for the "Canadian-Australasian Randomised Trial of Screening Kidney Transplant Candidates for Coronary Artery Disease."
Study overview
CARSK is an investigator-initiated, multicentre, non-inferiority, two-parallel-arm randomized trial. It aims to test the hypothesis that after screening for waitlist entry, no further screening for coronary artery disease (CAD) is not inferior to the current standard care, which is screening all asymptomatic waitlisted patients for CAD at regular intervals.

Additionally, it will compare the benefits and costs of not screening versus regular CAD screening from a health system perspective.

Why is this trial important?
Cardiovascular disease is the commonest cause of death while on the kidney transplant waitlist and after transplantation. Current standard care involves screening for coronary artery disease prior to waitlist entry, then every 1-2 years, according to perceived risk, until transplanted. This current screening strategy is not evidence based, has substantial known and potential harms, and is very costly.

Trial registration
The trial is registered at ANZCTR and Clinicaltrials.gov. Please see ANZCTR and Clinicaltrials.gov for more information.
ACTRN126160007364488 (WWW.ANZCTR.ORG.AU)
NCT03674307 (CLINICALTRIALS.GOV)
Trial funding
NHMRC Funded Clinical Trial Project Grant #1084454
CIHR Grant #389992

Worldwide Randomisations as of MarCH 31ST, 2025

  • St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, Canada has randomised 355 participants.
  • Auckland City Hospital in Auckland, NZ has randomised 228 participants.
  • Vancouver General Hospital in Vancouver, Canada has randomised 208 participants
  • Westmead Hospital in Sydney, Australia has randomised 208 participants.
  • University of Arizona in Tuscon, Arizona, USA has randomized 172 participants.
  • Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, Australia has randomized 170 participants.
  • The Charité in Berlin, Germany has randomised 86 participants.
  • St. George's University Hospitals in London, England has randomised 83 participants.
  • The University Health Network in Toronto, Canada has randomised 71 participants.
  • St Michael's Hospital in Toronto, Canada has randomised 69 participants.
  • The Ottawa Hospital in Ottawa, Canada has randomised 69 participants.
  • University of Montreal, Maisonneuve-Rosemont in Montreal, Canada has randomised 66 participants.
  • London Health Sciences Centre in London, Canada has randomised 66 participants.
  • Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, Canada has randomised 65 participants.
  • Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences in Halifax, Canada has randomised 64 participants.
  • McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, Canada has randomised 61 participants.
  • Bellvitge Hospital in Barcelona, Spain has randomised 46 participants.
  • Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, Australia has randomised 46 participants.
  • St Joseph's Healthcare in Hamilton, Canada has randomised 44 participants.
  • Royal Free Hospital in London, England has randomised 43 participants.
  • St. Helier Hospital in Sutton, England has randomised 40 participants.
  • Kingston General Hospital in Kingston, Canada has randomised 39 participants.
  • The George Washington University in Washington, DC, USA has randomised 36 participants.
  • Box Hill Hospital in Melbourne, Australia has randomised 35 participants.
  • University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, Canada has randomised 34 participants.
  • King's College Hospital in London, England has randomised 30 participants.
  • University of Montreal (CHUM) in Montreal, Canada has randomised 29 participants.
  • St. George Hospital in Kogorah, Australia has randomised 29 participants.
  • Wellington Hospital in Wellington, NZ has randomised 26 participants.
  • BART's College Hospital in London, England has randomised 26 participants.
  • Imperial College in London, England has randomised 26 participants.
  • Laval University in Laval, Canada has randomised 20 participants.
  • Baylor, Scott and White in Dallas, Texas, USA has randomised 19 participants.
  • Monash Medical Centre in Clayton, Australia has randomised 19 participants.
  • Dunedin Hospital in Dunedin, NZ has randomised 17 participants.
  • Austin Hospital in Heidelberg, Australia has randomised 17 participants.
  • University Hospitals Sussex in Brighton, England has randomised 16 participants.
  • Royal Adelaide Hospital in Adelaide, Australia has randomised 14 participants.
  • Cairns Hospital in Cairns North, Australia has randomised 14 participants.
  • Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick, Australia has randomised 14 participants.
  • Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, USA has randomised 13 participants.
  • University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA has randomised 11 participants.
  • Christchurch Hospital in Christchurch, NZ has randomised 10 participants.
  • Guy's and St Thomas in London, England has randomised 10 participants.
  • Wollongong Hospital in Wollongong, Australia has randomised 8 participants.
  • University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA has randomised 4 participants.

Featured Sites

About the logo
The logo is two overlapping kidneys in the shape of a heart. The colours are those of the flags of New Zealand, Australia, and Canada, the main participating countries in this trial. Logo design by Jesse Horner.