UK doctors who treated poisoned ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia say they expected the Russian pair to die, and still don't know what their long-term prognosis is.
The Skripals were found unconscious in the English city of Salisbury on March 4 after being exposed to a nerve agent known as Novichok. They spent weeks comatose in critical condition but have now been discharged.
Britain says Russia was behind the poisoning with the military-grade nerve agent. Moscow strongly denies the allegation. The incident has sparked a Cold War-style diplomatic crisis between Russia and the West, including the expulsion of hundreds of diplomats from both sides.
Dr Stephen Jukes, an intensive care consultant at the hospital, told the BBC that "when we first were aware this was a nerve agent we were expecting them not to survive.
"We would try all our therapies, we would ensure the best clinical care. But all the evidence was there that they would not survive," he said in an interview.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Hospital medical director Christine Blanshard said "we don't know" what the long-term effects of the poisoning will be.
Blanshard said "we have a total world experience of treating three patients for the effects of Novichok poisoning" - the Skripals and a police officer who came to their assistance. He was treated in hospital and released.
Sergei Skripal, 66, is a former Russian intelligence officer who was convicted of spying for Britain before coming to the UK as part of a 2010 prisoner swap.
