Slight drop in Australian organ donations

Australians are being urged to share their organ donation decisions with their families following a slight decrease in the number of donors.

Figures from the Organ and Tissue Authority show 1117 Australians had their lives transformed by 378 organ donors in 2014, which was down three per cent on the previous year.

Fewer livers and lungs were transplanted, but the number of kidneys and hearts transplanted increased.

The heart transplant count includes two "dead" heart transplants, a world-first procedure performed by St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney.

The successful operations used hearts donated from patients "after circulatory death", where the heart is no longer beating.

Previously, heart transplant units relied on donor hearts from brain-dead donors.

The procedure has the potential to boost heart transplant numbers in the future.

OTA's chief executive Yael Cass said family knowledge of organ donation decisions was a key factor in determining consent.

"Families who have discussed and know the donation decision of their loved ones are much more likely to say yes to donation," Ms Cass said.

Request to families for donation were made in about 680 cases in 2014, with about 415 families consenting.

ORGAN DONATIONS IN AUSTRALIA:

* About 1500 people are on the Australian organ transplant waiting lists at any one time

* Kidneys are the predominant organ donated and transplanted

* 659 kidneys were transplanted from deceased organ donors, up two per cent

* 237 livers were transplanted, down six per cent

* 159 lungs were transplanted, down five per cent

* 79 hearts were transplanted, up three per cent