SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             Washington, D.C. 20549
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                                    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: April 2003

                        Commission File Number: 000-28882

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

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

                                     Ontario
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                         (Jurisdiction of organization)

                   1 Laser Street, Ottawa, Ontario K2E 7V1
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                    (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-
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<PAGE>




This Form 6-K consists of the following:

1.   Press release of World Heart  Corporation dated April 3, 2003 in connection
     with its completion of a private placement of equity securities.


<PAGE>


News Release

For Immediate Release
                        WORLD HEART CORPORATION COMPLETES
                           PRIVATE PLACEMENT OF EQUITY

OTTAWA, Ontario - April 3, 2003: (TSX: WHT, OTCBB: WHRTF) - World Heart
Corporation ("WorldHeart" or the "Corporation") today announced the issue of
1,000,000 common shares at a price of CDN$1.60 per share, for gross proceeds of
$1,600,000. The common shares were issued pursuant to the exercise of warrants
owned by the Amaranth Fund LP, of Hamilton, Bermuda. By way of compensation for
the early exercise of the warrants, which would not otherwise have expired until
January 2, 2008, the Corporation issued 1,760,000 warrants to Amaranth, each
such warrant being exercisable into common shares of the Corporation at $1.60
per share, until April 2, 2008. Following completion of this transaction, the
Corporation's cash resources totaled approximately $1.8 million. The Corporation
expects to augment its near-term cash position by $2 to 3 million through
receivables collections, and as has also been previously announced, is
continuing to take other specific actions to further improve its capital base,
details of which will be announced in due course.

Following today's closing, WorldHeart has 21,950,877 common shares issued and
outstanding.

The common shares, including those underlying the warrants, have not been
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.

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, ext: 2995
communications@worldheart.com


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                                   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: April 3, 2003                      By: /s/  Ian Malone
                                            ------------------------------------
                                            Name:   Ian Malone
                                            Title:  Vice President Finance and
                                                    Chief Financial Officer