SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             Washington, D.C. 20549
                             ----------------------

                                    FORM 6-K

                        REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER

                    Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16 of the
                         Securities Exchange Act of 1934


                         For the month of: December 2002

                        Commission File Number: 000-28882

                            World Heart Corporation
                            -----------------------
               (Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

                                      N/A
                           --------------------------
                 (Translation of registrant's name into English)

                                     Ontario
                         -----------------------------
                         (Jurisdiction of organization)

                     1 Laser Street, Ottawa, Ontario K2E 7V1
                     ---------------------------------------
                    (Address of principal executive offices)

                  Registrant's telephone number: (613) 226-4278



Indicate by check mark whether the registrant  files or will file annual reports
under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.

                        Form 20-F  X    Form 40-F
                                  ---


Indicate by check mark whether by furnishing the  information  contained in this
Form,  the  registrant  is  also  thereby  furnishing  the  information  to  the
Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

                        Yes             No X
                                          ----

If "Yes" is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant in
connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): 82-______


<PAGE>

This Form 6-K consists of the following:

1.   Press  release  of  World  Heart  Corporation,  dated  December  13,  2002,
     announcing  an  agreement  to  issue  securities  in  Canada  in a  private
     placement transaction, as well as plans for additional financing.


<PAGE>


News Release

For Immediate Release

                        WORLD HEART CORPORATION ANNOUNCES
                            $11,000,000 OF FINANCING

OTTAWA, Ontario - December 13, 2002: (TSX: WHT, OTCBB: WHRTF) World Heart
Corporation ("WorldHeart" or the "Corporation") announces that it has agreed to
sell, on a private placement basis, through Northern Securities Inc. 2,343,750
units (the "Units") at a price of Cdn $1.28 per Unit, for gross proceeds of
$3,000,000. The Corporation may sell additional units prior to completion, up to
a maximum of 3,906,250 units as contemplated in our release of December 2, 2002.
Each Unit comprises one common share, and one warrant to purchase a common
share. Each warrant will be exercisable into one common share at an exercise
price of Cdn $1.60 per share for a period of five years.

The Corporation also announced that in separate transactions, it expects to
raise an additional $8,000,000 through a combination of mezzanine funding and
subordinated debt, which will be secured over the Corporation's assets. This
additional funding is subject to final approvals, including regulatory approvals
and completion of documentation. The total gross proceeds from these
transactions, which are expected to close on separate dates commencing on, or
about, December 17, 2002 and ending on, or about January 10, 2003, are
$11,000,000.

WorldHeart currently has 17,970,127 common shares issued and outstanding.

WorldHeart intends to use the proceeds from these private placements towards
marketing expenses related to its Novacor(R) LVAS, continued funding of the
development of its optimised HeartSaverVAD(TM), and general corporate purposes.

The private placement of common shares and warrants is subject to the approval
of The Toronto Stock Exchange and also requires approval by the holders of a
majority of the Corporation's issued common shares. The common shares, including
those underlying the warrants, will not be registered under the U.S. Securities
Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to U.S.
persons unless an exemption from such registration is available.

<PAGE>



About the Novacor(R) LVAS
WorldHeart's Novacor(R) LVAS is an electromagnetically driven pump that provides
circulatory support by taking over part or all of the workload of the left
ventricle. Novacor(R) LVAS is already approved in Europe without restrictions
for use by heart failure patients; and in the United States and Canada as a
bridge to heart transplantation. It is approved for use in Japan by cardiac
patients at risk of imminent death from non-reversible left ventricular failure
for which there is no alternative but a heart transplant.

About WorldHeart
World Heart Corporation, a global medical device company based in Ottawa,
Ontario and Oakland, California, is currently focused on the development and
commercialization of pulsatile ventricular assist devices. Its Novacor(R) LVAS
(Left Ventricular Assist System) is well established in the marketplace and its
next-generation technology, HeartSaverVAD(TM), is a fully implantable assist
device intended for long-term support of patients with end-stage heart failure.

Any forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the safe
harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risk and
uncertainties, including without limitation, risks in product development and
market acceptance of and demand for the Corporation's products, risks of
downturns in economic conditions generally, and in the medical devices markets,
risks associated with costs and delays posed by government regulation,
limitations on third party reimbursement, inability to protect proprietary
technology, potential product liability and other risks detailed in the
Corporation's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All
financial figures are prepared in accordance with Canadian generally accepted
accounting principles (GAAP) and are expressed in Canadian dollars.


For more information, please contact:
Michelle Banning
Manager, Corporate Communications
(613) 226-4278 x 2995
communications@worldheart.com

<PAGE>


                                   SIGNATURES


         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.


                                          World Heart Corporation


Date: December 13, 2002                   By: /s/ Ian Malone
                                             -------------------
                                             Name:   Ian Malone
                                             Title:  Vice President Finance
                                                     and Chief Financial Officer