**EXHIBIT 31.1**

 

**CERTIFICATIONOF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER PURSUANT TO**

**SECTION 302OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002**

 

I, Jal S. Jassawalla, certify that:

 

1.             I have reviewed thisquarterly report on Form 10-Q of World Heart Corporation;

 

2.             Based on my knowledge,this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit tostate a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of thecircumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading withrespect 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) and 15d-15(e))and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and15d-15(f)) for the small business issuer and have:

 

a)     designed such disclosurecontrols and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures tobe designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relatingto the small business issuer, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is madeknown to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period inwhich this report is being prepared;

 

b)    designed such internal controlover financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financialreporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assuranceregarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation offinancial statements for external purposes in accordance with generallyaccepted accounting principles;

 

c)     evaluated the effectivenessof the small business issuer’s disclosure controls and procedures and presentedin this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosurecontrols and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this reportbased on such evaluation; and

 

d)    disclosed in this report anychange in the small business issuer’s internal control over financial reportingthat occurred during the small business issuer’s most recent fiscal quarterthat has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, thesmall business issuer’s internal control over financial 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)            any fraud, whether ornot material, that involves management or other employees who have asignificant role in the small business issuer’s internal control over financialreporting.

 
| Dated:  August 13,  2008 | /s/ Jal S. Jassawalla                  |
|------------------------------------|----------------------------------------|
|                               | Jal S. Jassawalla, President and Chief |
|                               | Executive Officer                      |

 

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