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 October 31st, 2023

  • St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, Canada has randomised 254 participants.
  • Auckland City Hospital in Auckland, NZ has randomised 215 participants.
  • Westmead Hospital in Sydney, Australia has randomised 171 participants.
  • Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, Australia has randomized 167 participants.
  • Vancouver General Hospital in Vancouver, Canada has randomised 150 participants
  • University of Arizona in Tuscon, Arizona, USA has randomized 107 participants.
  • The University Health Network in Toronto, Canada has randomised 64 participants.
  • The Charité in Berlin, Germany has randomised 62 participants.
  • St. George's University Hospitals in London, England has randomised 55 participants.
  • University of Montreal, Maisonneuve-Rosemont in Montreal, Canada has randomised 54 participants.
  • The Ottawa Hospital in Ottawa, Canada has randomised 53 participants.
  • Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences in Halifax, Canada has randomised 50 participants.
  • London Health Sciences Centre in London, Canada has randomised 50 participants.
  • Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, Canada has randomised 46 participants.
  • Bellvitge Hospital in Barcelona, Spain has randomised 46 participants.
  • Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, Australia has randomised 46 participants.
  • McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, Canada has randomised 43 participants.
  • St Joseph's Healthcare in Hamilton, Canada has randomised 42 participants.
  • St Michael's Hospital in Toronto, Canada has randomised 41 participants.
  • Box Hill Hospital in Melbourne, Australia has randomised 35 participants.
  • The George Washington University in Washington, DC, USA has randomised 33 participants.
  • St. Helier Hospital in Sutton, England has randomised 32 participants.
  • St. George Hospital in Kogorah, Australia has randomised 29 participants.
  • University of Montreal (CHUM) in Montreal, Canada has randomised 27 participants.
  • Wellington Hospital in Wellington, NZ has randomised 26 participants.
  • Kingston General Hospital in Kingston, Canada has randomised 22 participants.
  • University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, Canada has randomised 22 participants.
  • King's College Hospital in London, England has randomised 21 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.
  • Laval University in Laval, Canada has randomised 17 participants.
  • BART's College Hospital in London, 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.
  • University Hospitals Sussex in Brighton, England has randomised 11 participants.
  • Christchurch Hospital in Christchurch, NZ has randomised 10 participants.
  • Wollongong Hospital in Wollongong, Australia has randomised 8 participants.
  • Imperial College in London, England has randomised 2 participants.
  • Guy's and St Thomas in London, England has begun recruitment
  • University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA has begun recruitment.
  • University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA has begun recruitment.

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.