Rely on our expert medical support plus healthy doses of encouragement to help recover from major cardiac events.


If you are recovering from a heart attack or recent surgery, or learning to live with heart or lung disease, the road ahead may seem challenging. You may feel anxious about your health and concerned about how to manage your life and get back to doing the things you love.

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Designed to get you moving.

Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation will help create your path forward. You will gain a better understanding of your condition and what you can do to optimize your health. You’ll learn how to cope with your diagnosis, lower your risk of future issues, and return to an active, productive life.

Your rehab team includes respiratory therapists, registered nurses, exercise professionals, dietitians and a medical director. The program gives you the chance to interact with others who share similar journeys. We will communicate your progress with your doctors as well. Most insurance companies will cover most, if not all, of our services.

Our programs focus on these keys to a healthy heart and lungs:

  • Exercise — a customized exercise plan, including guidelines for exercising at home and after completing the program
  • Nutrition — a well-balanced diet, weight management and nutrition assessments
  • Behavior Modification — managing risk factors like smoking, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, diabetes and stress

One of our main goals is to prepare and equip you to continue physical activity and healthy lifestyle changes after completing our rehabilitation programs.

Cardiovascular Rehab


Cardiovascular rehab can help you control symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath, and it can stop or reverse damage to blood vessels. It focuses on improving your stamina and strength and getting back to your usual activities. The goal is to help you live longer and avoid complications going forward. You can find ECU Health cardiovascular rehab programs in Edenton, Greenville, Nags Head, Tarboro, Washington and Wilson.

You may benefit from cardiovascular rehab if you have recently experienced:

  • Heart attack or acute coronary syndrome
  • Angina
  • Artherosclerosis or coronary artery disease
  • Cardiomyopathy or congestive heart failure
  • Peripheral vascular disease
  • Angioplasty or stents or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)
  • Catheterization or coronary artherectomy device
  • Bypass surgery
  • Valve replacement or repair or transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)

Intensive Cardiac Rehab (ICR)

A trainer helps instruct a patient on a treadmill.
ECU Health, in partnership with Pritikin ICR, is proud to offer Intensive Cardiac Rehab (ICR) – the first program of its kind in eastern North Carolina – at ECU Health Cardiac Rehabilitation – Roanoke Rapids. ICR consists of 72 sessions over a period of up to 18 weeks, with 36 focused primarily on exercise and another 36 for education on proper nutrition and healthy mind-set. The curriculum includes immersive workshops, cooking classes, videos and more, and is designed to provide the tools and knowledge you need to succeed during cardiac rehab and long after.

You may qualify for ICR if you’ve recently experienced:

  • Angina (chest pain)
  • Heart attack within the last 12 months
  • Coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG)
  • Heart valve repair or replacement
  • Coronary angioplasty (PCI) or stenting
  • Heart transplant or heart/lung transplant
  • Stable, chronic heart failure

Pulmonary Rehab


Pulmonary rehab may help reduce and control breathing difficulties and other symptoms of lung disease. We strive to help you achieve your highest level of independence and physical ability. ECU Health offers pulmonary rehab programs in Edenton, Greenville, Tarboro, Nags Head, Washington and Wilson.

Services benefit those who have lung conditions such as:

  • Asthma
  • Bronchitis
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • Emphysema
  • Pulmonary hypertension
  • Sarcoidosis

For more information on programs in: