Design and baseline data from the Management of Sadness and Anxiety in Cardiology (MOSAIC) randomized controlled...

Depression and anxiety in cardiac patients are independently associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes, including mortality. Collaborative care (CC) programs, which use care managers to assess patients, coordinate care, and perform therapeutic interventions, have proven effective in managing depression in this population. However, no prior CC intervention has simultaneously managed depression and anxiety disorders, and there has been minimal study of CC in high-risk cardiac inpatients.

The Management of Sadness and Anxiety in Cardiology (MOSAIC) study was a prospective randomized trial of a low-intensity CC intervention, compared to enhanced usual care, for patients hospitalized for acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, or arrhythmia, and diagnosed with depression, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), or panic disorder (PD). The primary outcome measure for MOSAIC was mental health-related quality of life (HRQoL), measured using the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-12. Additional outcomes included psychological, functional, and medical outcomes, including rehospitalizations.

A total of 183 eligible participants were enrolled (92 collaborative care, 91 enhanced usual care); 94% of depressed patients reported being depressed for >1month, and 53% of those with GAD reported clinically significant anxiety for >1year. One hundred thirty-three patients had depression, 118 had GAD, and 19 had PD; 74 participants (40%) had two or more of the disorders.

The MOSAIC trial will provide data regarding whether an intervention that concurrently manages these common psychiatric disorders results in meaningful improvements in HRQoL, psychiatric symptoms, and medical outcomes in cardiac patients at high risk for adverse outcomes.