**EXHIBIT 31.1**

**CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER PURSUANT TOSECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002**

I, Jal S. Jassawalla, certify that:

1.                I have reviewedthis annual report on Form 10-KSB of World Heart Corporation;

2.                Based on myknowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material factor omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, inlight of the circumstances under which such statements were made, notmisleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3.                Based on myknowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information includedin this report, fairly present in all material respects the financialcondition, results of operations and cash flows of the small business issuer asof, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4.                The small businessissuer’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing andmaintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and15d-15(e)) for the small business issuer and have:

a.                  designed suchdisclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls andprocedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that materialinformation relating to the small business issuer, including its consolidatedsubsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularlyduring the period in which this report is being prepared;

b.                 [paragraphomitted in accordance with SEC transition instructions contained in SECrelease 33-8618];

c.                  evaluated theeffectiveness of the small business issuer’s disclosure controls and proceduresand presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of thedisclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by thisreport based on such evaluation; and

d.                 disclosed in thisreport any change in the small business issuer’s internal control overfinancial reporting that occurred during the small business issuer’s mostrecent fiscal quarter (the small business issuer’s fourth fiscal quarter in thecase of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likelyto materially affect, the small business issuer’s internal control overfinancial reporting; and

5.                The small businessissuer’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our mostrecent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the smallbusiness issuer’s auditors and the audit committee of the small business issuer’sboard of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

a.                  all significantdeficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internalcontrol over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adverselyaffect the small business issuer’s ability to record, process, summarize andreport financial information; and

b.                 anyfraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees whohave a significant role in the small business issuer’s internal control overfinancial reporting.
| Dated: March 27, 2006 | /s/ JAL S. JASSAWALLA                                     |
|----------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------|
|                       | Jal S. Jassawalla, President and Chief  Executive Officer |

 

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