Scientists 'concealed' death of patient at centre of vegetative state breakthrough

Therapy which restored consciousness hailed as huge advance, but researchers criticised for withholding fact that patient died of lung infection months after treatment

French scientists have been criticised for concealing the death of the patient at the centre of a breakthrough in which consciousness was restored to a man in a persistent vegetative state.

The treatment was hailed as a major advance in the field and suggested that the outlook for these patients and their families might be less bleak than was previously thought.