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: October 2003

                        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 ("WorldHeart"),  dated October 30,
     2003, announcing that WorldHeart's Registration Statement No. 333-109876 on
     Form F-3 was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange  Commission,
     and that  WorldHeart  intends to seek  shareholder  approval  for a reverse
     split of its  common  shares to  facilitate  the  re-listing  of its common
     shares on the NASDAQ Stock Market.

The  information  contained in this Report is  incorporated  by  reference  into
Registration Statement No. 333-109876 on Form F-3.
<PAGE>
News Release

For Immediate Release

           WORLD HEART ANNOUNCES REGISTRATION STATEMENT FILED WITH THE
          SEC DECLARED EFFECTIVE; ALSO CONFIRMS DETAILS OF A PROPOSED
       REVERSE SHARE SPLIT AND RE-AFFIRMS INTENTION TO SEEK RE-LISTING ON
                                   THE NASDAQ

OTTAWA,  Ontario - October  30,  2003  (OTCBB:  WHRTF,  TSX:  WHT) - World Heart
Corporation  (WorldHeart)  announced that the registration statement on Form F-3
(File No.  333-109876)  filed by the Company on October  22,  2003 was  declared
effective by the U.S.  Securities  and  Exchange  Commission  (SEC)  today.  The
registration statement relates to the possible resale, from time to time, by the
security  holders  identified in the  prospectus  contained in the  registration
statement  of up to  81,781,451  Common  Shares  of the  Company  of  which  (i)
38,943,548  Common Shares are currently  outstanding and (ii) 42,837,903  Common
Shares will be issued upon the exercise of Warrants.

The Common Shares and the Warrants  covered by the  registration  statement were
originally  issued to the security holders as part of the $63.5 million (US$46.3
million)  private  placement  transaction  completed on September 23, 2003.  The
registration  statement was filed  pursuant to a registration  rights  agreement
entered into with the U.S. investors in connection with such transaction.

Of the sale of  74,699,548  Units  completed on September  23, 2003,  38,943,548
Units,  (consisting of 38,943,548 Common Shares and 38,943,548  Warrants),  were
purchased by U.S.  investors  and  35,756,000  Units were  purchased by Canadian
investors.  The 38,943,548 Common Shares purchased by the U.S. investors are now
freely  tradable in the United  States on the OTCBB.  An  additional  38,943,548
Common  Shares  that  will be  issued  upon the  exercise  of the  Warrants  and
3,894,355  Common  Shares  that will be  issued  upon the  exercise  of the U.S.
Agent's warrants become freely tradable in the United States on the OTCBB if and
when issued, on exercise of the Warrants.

The  74,699,548  Common  Shares and the  74,699,548  Common  Shares that will be
issued upon the exercise of the Warrants, held by U.S. investors and by Canadian
investors,  as well as  7,030,355  Common  Shares  that will be issued  upon the
exercise of the U.S. and Canadian Agent's warrants,  will become freely tradable
in Canada on the TSX on January 23, 2004.

Also as  previously  announced,  the  Corporation  intends  to seek  shareholder
approval for a "reverse split", or share consolidation, of its Common Shares, as
approved by the Board of Directors on September 10, 2003, in connection with the
private   placement   transaction   completed  on  September   23,  2003.   This
consolidation  will be on the basis of one Common Share for seven Common Shares,
and  approval  of the  shareholders  will be  sought  at a  Special  Meeting  of
Shareholders to be held in Toronto on November 25, 2003 at 4:00 p.m..  Notice of
the Special Meeting, the Management  Information  Circular,  and a Form of Proxy
were mailed to shareholders on October 28, 2003.
<PAGE>
This share consolidation is an important step in the Company's plans to seek the
re-listing  of its Common Shares on the NASDAQ Stock Market when the Company has
met the listing requirements.

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 heart failure.

Any  forward-looking  statements  in this release are made  pursuant to the safe
harbour  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.


For more information, please contact:
Mark Goudie,
Vice-President, Finance and CFO
World Heart Corporation
(613) 226-4278, ext: 2509, or (510) 563-4995
<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: October 31, 2003              By:  /s/ Mark Goudie
                                               ---------------------------------
                                               Name:   Mark Goudie
                                               Title:  Chief Financial Officer