Working up a sweat may be even better than angioplasty for some heart patients, experts say.

Studies have showed that heart patients benefit from exercise, and some have even showed it works better than surgical procedures. Doctors should focus more on persuading their patients to exercise rather than simply doing angioplasties, several experts said during a meeting of the European Society of Cardiology on Sunday.

Angioplasty is the top treatment for people having a heart attack or hospitalized with worsening symptoms. It involves using a tiny balloon to flatten a blockage and propping the artery open with a mesh tube called a stent. Most angioplasties are done on a nonemergency basis to relieve chest pain caused by clogged arteries cutting off the heart's blood supply.

"It's difficult to convince people to exercise instead of having an angioplasty, but it works," said Rainer Hambrecht of Klinikum Links der Weser in Bremen, Germany.

An angioplasty "only opens up one vessel blockage," said Dr. Christopher Cannon, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard University and spokesman for the American College of Cardiology, who was not involved in Hambrecht's research. "Exercise does a lot more than fixing one little problem."

Among other benefits, exercise lowers bad cholesterol while raising good cholesterol, helps the body process sugar better, improves the lining of the blood vessels, and gets rid of waste material faster. It also lowers blood pressure and prevents plaque buildup in the arteries.

Previous research has estimated that one-third of heart disease and stroke could be prevented if patients did two-and-a-half hours of brisk walking every week. In the United States, that would mean 280,000 fewer heart-related deaths every year.

Joep Perk, a health sciences professor at Sweden's Kalmar University and spokesman for the European Society of Cardiology, said two-thirds of heart patients in line for an angioplasty probably could get better benefits by regularly working up a sweat.

Doctors who perform angioplasties on their patients without asking them to change their lifestyles ignore the fundamental problem, Perk said. "It would be like getting rid of the most troubled rust spots on a car without doing anything to stop more rust from appearing tomorrow."

Still, doctors admitted that persuading patients to exercise instead of simply going in for an angioplasty, which can take less than a day, would be a tough sell.

"Most patients want the quick fix," Cannon said.

Exercise may improve patients' hearts better than an angioplasty, but it also may take months or even longer for patients to feel the benefits. "It's a lot easier to get your artery fixed than it is to exercise every day."