NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

            WORLDHEART ANNOUNCES THE FIRST PATIENT IN THE U.S. TO BE
                  SUCCESSFULLY WEANED FROM THE NOVACOR(R) LVAS.


Oakland, CA, USA - June 28, 2005: (NASDAQ: WHRT, TSX: WHT) - World Heart
Corporation , a global technology leader in mechanical circulatory support
systems, announced today that at Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut, a
heart-failure patient became the first patient in the United States to be weaned
successfully from the Novacor left ventricular assist system (LVAS).

A 45-year-old woman diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy with severe
biventricular failure and cardiogenic shock was implanted with a WorldHeart
Novacor LVAS and a temporary right ventricular assist device, with the intention
of bridging to heart transplantation. Over the ensuing days and weeks, her
cardiac function stabilized and improved. Following successful removal of the
right ventricular assist device, the decision was then made to attempt to wean
the individual from the Novacor LVAS with the goal of possible explantation.

Dr. John Elefteriades, Professor at Yale University and Chief of Cardiovascular
Surgery at Yale-New Haven Hospital commented: "After a successful weaning
process over four days, the patient underwent removal of the Novacor LVAS which
had been instrumental in saving her life. Despite the fact that the patient was
listed for cardiac transplantation on the United Network for Organ Sharing list
as a Status 1A patient, we felt that the native heart had recovered sufficiently
to proceed with the explantation thus avoiding heart transplantation. The
patient will be discharged home today".

Dr. Piet Jansen, WorldHeart's Chief Medical Officer, commented: "We are
delighted with the successful outcome in this patient. It is the first time in
the United States that a patient was successfully weaned from the Novacor LVAS.
This illustrates the capability of the Novacor to unload the ventricle,
providing an opportunity for recovery. In Europe, where bridge to recovery is an
approved indication, the Novacor has been weaned successfully in nearly 40
cases."

Yale-New Haven Hospital has been using the Novacor LVAS as the primary choice
for Bridge To Transplant since 1990. Dr. Elefteriades is also one of the
Principal Investigators of the RELIANT Trial, which evaluates the Novacor LVAS
for Destination Therapy.

About Novacor(R) LVAS:
The Novacor LVAS, a pump implanted alongside the patient's own heart to take
over a large portion of the workload of the natural heart, supports end-stage
heart failure


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          WORLD HEART CORPORATION - 7799 PARDEE LANE, OAKLAND, CA 94621
                   PHONE: (510) 563-5000 - FAX: (510) 563-5004
                               www.worldheart.com
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patients. It is an electrically powered, pulsatile flow device with 20 years of
clinical use. The Novacor LVAS has unprecedented reliability and durability. It
is the first ventricular assist device to provide a recipient with more than 6
years of circulatory support and holds the industry record for support on a
single pulsatile device, 4.8 years. To date, more than 1,600 patients have been
supported with the Novacor, with over 600 patient-years of experience and no
deaths attributed to device failure.

About the RELIANT Trial:
The RELIANT Trial (Randomized Evaluation of the Novacor(R) LVAS In A
Non-Transplant Population) will evaluate the Novacor LVAS for Destination
Therapy use by patients suffering from irreversible left ventricular failure who
are not candidates for transplantation. Recipients will be randomized, on a 2:1
basis, to receive the Novacor LVAS or the HeartMate(R) XVE LVAS. The objective
of the Trial is to demonstrate that use of the Novacor LVAS is superior to
optimal medical therapy by demonstrating equivalence to HeartMate XVE LVAS,
which has been evaluated and approved for such use. The Novacor LVAS has
Category B status under the existing IDE that permits reimbursement by the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for implants within the Trial.
Data from this Trial is expected to support a Pre-market Approval Supplement
that will request approval for use of the Novacor LVAS by non-transplant
eligible patients (Destination Therapy).

About World Heart Corporation:
World Heart Corporation is a global medical device company headquartered in
Oakland, California, USA with an additional facility in Heesch, Netherlands.
WorldHeart's registered office is Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Forward -Looking Statements

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 Company's products, risks associated
with costs and delays posed by government regulation, limitations on third-party
reimbursement, inability to protect proprietary technology, potential product
liability, delays in the completion of or an unsuccessful result in the RELIANT
Trial and other risks detailed in the Company's filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, including its recently filed Proxy Statement and Amended
Annual Report on Form 10-KSB/A for year ended 2004.

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Contact Information:
World Heart Corporation
Mr. Richard Juelis (510) 563-4713
Ms. Peggy Allman (510) 563-4721
www.worldheart.com