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: 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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This Form 6-K consists of the following:

1. Press release of World Heart Corporation (the "Company") dated April 10, 2003
announcing improved clinical results for the Company's Novacor(R) LVAS (left
ventricular assist system) product.


<PAGE>


News Release

For Immediate Release

             IMPROVED CLINICAL RESULTS WITH NEW INFLOW CONDUIT FOR
             THE NOVACOR(R) LVAS PRESENTED AT LEADING INTERNATIONAL
                             SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE


VIENNA, AUSTRIA - April 10, 2003 - (OTCBB: WHRTF, TSX: WHT) - Clinical results
for World Heart Corporation's (WorldHeart) Novacor(R) LVAS (left ventricular
assist system) with a new ePTFE (expanded polytetrafluorethylene) inflow conduit
were presented today at the 23rd Scientific Sessions of the International
Society of Heart & Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) in Vienna, Austria.

The clinical results, based on the first 88 implants at 25 centers in Europe and
Canada, demonstrated a 7.9% embolic CVA (cerebrovascular accident) rate,
excluding two cases clinically confirmed to be non-device related. After the
30-day perioperative period, the rate was 4.5%.

The Clinical results with the new conduit were presented by Dr. Tofy Mussivand,
Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer of WorldHeart, on behalf of the
investigators. The ISHLT conference is the premier meeting in the
transplantation and mechanical circulatory support fields, hosting hundreds of
clinicians and scientists from leading transplant centers around the world. The
clinical presentations will be subsequently published in the Journal of Heart
and Lung Transplantation.

"The rate of CVAs experienced with these implants, in conjunction with
recognized multiyear reliability and durability, will contribute to the
confidence of clinicians and patients in the use of the Novacor LVAS," Dr.
Mussivand stated.

The inflow conduit carries blood from the natural heart to the Novacor LVAS,
which then pumps the blood into the aorta to assist a failing heart. The ePTFE
inflow conduit was introduced to provide an alternate blood-contacting material,
which has been documented in the literature to offer such benefits as a
reduction in inflammatory response and platelet activation.

"We are extremely pleased with these strong clinical results, which confirm our
belief that the new ePTFE inflow conduit will help position the Novacor LVAS for
significant increase in use by patients requiring left ventricular support,"
said Mr. Rod Bryden, President and CEO, World Heart Corporation. The ePTFE
conduit was previously approved in Europe, and recently approved in both Canada
and the US.

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 approved in Europe without restriction 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.


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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
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 gaining access to required
capital, 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:
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Michelle Banning
Manager, Corporate Communications
(613) 226-4278, ext: 2995 or (510) 563-4995
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 10, 2003             By: /s/ Ian Malone
                                      ------------------------------------------
                                      Name:   Ian Malone
                                      Title:  Vice President Finance and
                                              Chief Financial Officer