Vikram Sabhaney

BSc, FRCPC, MD

Investigator, BC Children's Hospital
Attending Physician, Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Research Director, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine

My research focuses on the care of acutely injured and ill children presenting to the emergency department.

One of the goals of our research program is to better understand infectious diseases emergencies. This includes 1) characterizing the risk of serious bacterial infections in young infants with fever, to optimize the medical management of these vulnerable patients, and 2) understanding the natural course and complications of common viruses such as SARS-CoV-2.

The second goal of our research program is to improve the care of children who either present to the emergency department with a painful condition or undergo painful procedures in the emergency department.

Academic Affiliations

  • Clinical Assistant Professor, , Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
  • Research Theme: Evidence to Innovation

Contact Information

Location

4500 Oak St, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6H 3N1

Social Behaviors Associated with SARS-CoV-2 Test Positivity Among Children Evaluated in Canadian Emergency Departments, 2020 to 2022: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Academic Pediatrics

Sumner, M. and Tarr, G.A.M. and Xie, J. and Mater, A. and Winston, K. and Gravel, J. and Poonai, N. and Burstein, B. and Berthelot, S. and Zemek, R. and Porter, R. and Wright, B. and Kam, A. and Emsley, J. and Sabhaney, V. and Beer, D. and Freire, G. and Moffatt, A. and Freedman, S.B.

DOI: 10.1016/j.acap.2024.08.016

Pediatric SARS-CoV-2 infection and development of anxiety and depression

Frontiers in Pediatrics

Dun-Dery, F. and Xie, J. and Zemek, R. and Winston, K. and Burstein, B. and Sabhaney, V. and Emsley, J. and Gravel, J. and Kam, A. and Mater, A. and Beer, D. and Porter, R. and Freire, G. and Poonai, N. and Moffatt, A. and Berthelot, S. and Salvadori, M.I. and Reddy, D. and Wright, B. and Freedman, S.B.

DOI: 10.3389/fped.2025.1524617

No Association between SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Quality of Life 6- and 12-Months After Infection

Academic Pediatrics

Dun-Dery, F. and Xie, J. and Winston, K. and Burstein, B. and Emsley, J. and Sabhaney, V. and Gravel, J. and Zemek, R. and Kam, A. and Mater, A. and Beer, D. and Freire, G. and Poonai, N. and Berthelot, S. and Porter, R. and Moffatt, A. and Salvadori, M. and Dixon, A. and Freedman, S.B.

DOI: 10.1016/j.acap.2024.07.003

Anxiolysis for laceration repair in children: study protocol for an open-label multicenter adaptive trial (ALICE)

Plos One

Poonai, N. and Arthur-Hayward, V. and Ali, S. and Sabhaney, V. and Doan, Q. and Trottier, E. and Gravel, J. and Tran, N.A. and Bhatt, M. and Eltorki, M. and Thull-Freedman, J. and Leung, J. and Beer, D. and Jiang, A. and Poolacherla, R. and Heath, A.

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0324515

Ultrasound guidance compared to anatomic landmark approach for thoracentesis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

American Journal of Emergency Medicine

Lakkadghatwala, R. and Wilson, A. and Sabhaney, V. and Gottlieb, M. and Shen, Y. and Pawliuk, C. and Ahn, J.S. and Kim, D.J.

DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2025.07.049

Research capacity and limitations in Canadian paediatric emergency departments: An observational study on biomarker discovery

Paediatrics and Child Health Canada

Mitevska, E. and Mickiewicz, B. and Boisvert, L. and Bon, C. and Carciumaru, R. and Cook, R. and Crawford, T. and Dietz, J. and Doyle, M. and Hui, A.Y. and Stillwell, K. and Trajtman, A. and Beer, D. and Bhatt, M. and Craig, W. and Fitzpatrick, E. and Gravel, J. and Kam, A. and Mater, A. and Moffat, A. and Poonai, N. and Sabhaney, V. and Thompson, G.C.

DOI: 10.1093/pch/pxae023

Combined oropharyngeal nasal (ON) swabs for the molecular detection of respiratory pathogens including M. pneumoniae in symptomatic children

Microbiology Spectrum

Nelson, H. and Kayda, I. and Watson, N. and Kinshella, M.-L.W. and Cochrane, J. and Desai, N. and Dittrick, M. and Hoang, L. and Hawkes, M.T. and Meckler, G. and Sabhaney, V. and Gubbay, J.B. and Imperial, M. and Srigley, J.A. and Li, L. and Goldfarb, D.M.

DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02181-25

Features Associated With Radiographic Pneumonia in Children with SARS-CoV-2

Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society

Florin, T.A. and Freedman, S.B. and Xie, J. and Funk, A.L. and Tancredi, D.J. and Kim, K. and Neuman, M.I. and Yock-Corrales, A. and Bergmann, K.R. and Breslin, K.A. and Finkelstein, Y. and Ahmad, F.A. and Avva, U.R. and Lunoe, M.M. and Chaudhari, P.P. and Shah, N.P. and Plint, A.C. and Sabhaney, V.J. and Sethuraman, U. and Gardiner, M.A. and Sartori, L.F. and Wright, B. and Navanandan, N. and Mintegi, S. and Gangoiti, I. and Borland, M.L. and Chong, S.-L. and Kwok, M.Y. and Eckerle, M. and Poonai, N. and Romero, C.M.A. and Waseem, M. and Nebhrajani, J.R. and Bhatt, M. and Caperell, K. and Campos, C. and Becker, S.M. and Morris, C.R. and Rogers, A.J. and Kam, A.J. and Pavlicich, V. and Palumbo, L. and Dalziel, S.R. and Morrison, A.K. and Rino, P.B. and Cherry, J.C. and Salvadori, M.I. and Ambroggio, L. and Klassen, T.P. and Payne, D.C. and Malley, R. and Simon, N.-J. and Kuppermann, N.

DOI: 10.1093/jpids/piae015

National Survey on the Emergency Department Management of Febrile Infants 29 to 60 Days Old with an Abnormal Urinalysis

Pediatric Emergency Care

Chapur, J. and Meckler, G. and Doan, Q. and Bone, J.N. and Burstein, B. and Sabhaney, V.

DOI: 10.1097/PEC.0000000000003069

Intranasal midazolam for procedural distress in children in the emergency department: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine

Wang, J.Y. and Speechley, K. and Anderson, K.K. and Gainham, G. and Ali, S. and Trottier, E.D. and Sabhaney, V. and Heath, A. and Sich, C. and Forbes, A. and Poonai, N.

DOI: 10.1007/s43678-024-00731-2

Presentations and Outcomes Among Infants #90 Days With and Without SARS-CoV-2

Pediatrics

Burstein, B. and Sabhaney, V. and Florin, T.A. and Xie, J. and Kuppermann, N. and Freedman, S.B.

DOI: 10.1542/peds.2023-064949

Inhaled nitrous oxide for painful procedures in children and youth: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine

Poonai, N. and Creene, C. and Dobrowlanski, A. and Geda, R. and Hartling, L. and Ali, S. and Bhatt, M. and Trottier, E.D. and Sabhaney, V. and O?Hearn, K. and Jain, R. and Osmond, M.H.

DOI: 10.1007/s43678-023-00507-0

Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Infection on the Association Between Laboratory Tests and Severe Outcomes Among Hospitalized Children

Open Forum Infectious Diseases

Xie, J. and Kuppermann, N. and Florin, T.A. and Tancredi, D.J. and Funk, A.L. and Kim, K. and Salvadori, M.I. and Yock-Corrales, A. and Shah, N.P. and Breslin, K.A. and Chaudhari, P.P. and Bergmann, K.R. and Ahmad, F.A. and Nebhrajani, J.R. and Mintegi, S. and Gangoiti, I. and Plint, A.C. and Avva, U.R. and Gardiner, M.A. and Malley, R. and Finkelstein, Y. and Dalziel, S.R. and Bhatt, M. and Kannikeswaran, N. and Caperell, K. and Campos, C. and Sabhaney, V.J. and Chong, S.-L. and Lunoe, M.M. and Rogers, A.J. and Becker, S.M. and Borland, M.L. and Sartori, L.F. and Pavlicich, V. and Rino, P.B. and Morrison, A.K. and Neuman, M.I. and Poonai, N. and Simon, N.-J.E. and Kam, A.J. and Kwok, M.Y. and Morris, C.R. and Palumbo, L. and Ambroggio, L. and Navanandan, N. and Eckerle, M. and Klassen, T.P. and Payne, D.C. and Cherry, J.C. and Waseem, M. and Dixon, A.C. and Ferre, I.B. and Freedman, S.B.

DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofad485

Comparison of Symptoms Associated with SARS-CoV-2 Variants among Children in Canada

JAMA Network Open

Sumner, M.W. and Xie, J. and Zemek, R. and Winston, K. and Freire, G. and Burstein, B. and Kam, A. and Emsley, J. and Gravel, J. and Porter, R. and Sabhaney, V. and Mater, A. and Salvadori, M.I. and Berthelot, S. and Beer, D. and Poonai, N. and Moffatt, A. and Wright, B. and Freedman, S.B.

DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.2328

Post-COVID-19 Condition in Children 6 and 12 Months after Infection

JAMA Network Open

Dun-Dery, F. and Xie, J. and Winston, K. and Burstein, B. and Gravel, J. and Emsley, J. and Sabhaney, V. and Zemek, R. and Berthelot, S. and Beer, D. and Kam, A. and Freire, G. and Mater, A. and Porter, R. and Poonai, N. and Moffatt, A. and Dixon, A. and Salvadori, M.I. and Freedman, S.B.

DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.49613

Optimal Dose of Intranasal Dexmedetomidine for Laceration Repair in Children: A Phase II Dose-Ranging Study

Annals of Emergency Medicine

Poonai, N. and Sabhaney, V. and Ali, S. and Stevens, H. and Bhatt, M. and Trottier, E.D. and Brahmbhatt, S. and Coriolano, K. and Chapman, A. and Evans, N. and Mace, C. and Creene, C. and Meulendyks, S. and Heath, A.

DOI: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2023.01.023

Test characteristics of ultrasound for the diagnosis of peritonsillar abscess: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Academic Emergency Medicine

Kim, D.J. and Burton, J.E. and Hammad, A. and Sabhaney, V. and Freder, J. and Bone, J.N. and Ahn, J.S.

DOI: 10.1111/acem.14660

Outcomes of SARS-CoV-2"Positive Youths Tested in Emergency Departments The Global PERN"COVID-19 Study

JAMA Network Open

Funk, A.L. and Florin, T.A. and Kuppermann, N. and Tancredi, D.J. and Xie, J. and Kim, K. and Neuman, M.I. and Ambroggio, L. and Plint, A.C. and Mintegi, S. and Klassen, T.P. and Salvadori, M.I. and Malley, R. and Payne, D.C. and Simon, N.-J. and Yock-Corrales, A. and Nebhrajani, J.R. and Chaudhari, P.P. and Breslin, K.A. and Finkelstein, Y. and Campos, C. and Bergmann, K.R. and Bhatt, M. and Ahmad, F.A. and Gardiner, M.A. and Avva, U.R. and Shah, N.P. and Sartori, L.F. and Sabhaney, V.J. and Caperell, K. and Navanandan, N. and Borland, M.L. and Morris, C.R. and Gangoiti, I. and Pavlicich, V. and Kannikeswaran, N. and Lunoe, M.M. and Rino, P.B. and Kam, A.J. and Cherry, J.C. and Rogers, A.J. and Chong, S.-L. and Palumbo, L. and Angelats, C.M. and Morrison, A.K. and Kwok, M.Y. and Becker, S.M. and Dixon, A.C. and Poonai, N. and Eckerle, M. and Wassem, M. and Dalziel, S.R. and Freedman, S.B.

DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.42322

Improving research personnel's hand hygiene adherence in the pediatric acute care setting during the COVID-19 pandemic: a quality improvement initiative

Pediatric Quality and Safety

Dissanayake, A. and MacLellan, A. and Doan, Q. and Sabhaney, V. and Virk, P.

DOI: 10.1097/pq9.0000000000000609

Post-COVID-19 Conditions Among Children 90 Days After SARS-CoV-2 Infection

JAMA Network Open

Funk, A.L. and Kuppermann, N. and Florin, T.A. and Tancredi, D.J. and Xie, J. and Kim, K. and Finkelstein, Y. and Neuman, M.I. and Salvadori, M.I. and Yock-Corrales, A. and Breslin, K.A. and Ambroggio, L. and Chaudhari, P.P. and Bergmann, K.R. and Gardiner, M.A. and Nebhrajani, J.R. and Campos, C. and Ahmad, F.A. and Sartori, L.F. and Navanandan, N. and Kannikeswaran, N. and Caperell, K. and Morris, C.R. and Mintegi, S. and Gangoiti, I. and Sabhaney, V.J. and Plint, A.C. and Klassen, T.P. and Avva, U.R. and Shah, N.P. and Dixon, A.C. and Lunoe, M.M. and Becker, S.M. and Rogers, A.J. and Pavlicich, V. and Dalziel, S.R. and Payne, D.C. and Malley, R. and Borland, M.L. and Morrison, A.K. and Bhatt, M. and Rino, P.B. and Beneyto Ferre, I. and Eckerle, M. and Kam, A.J. and Chong, S.-L. and Palumbo, L. and Kwok, M.Y. and Cherry, J.C. and Poonai, N. and Wassem, M. and Simon, N.-J. and Freedman, S.B.

DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.23253

Anxiolysis for laceration repair in children: a survey of pediatric emergency providers in Canada

Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine

Kumar, K. and Ali, S. and Sabhaney, V. and Trottier, E. and Drendel, A. and Bhatt, M. and Boisvert, L. and Poonai, N.

DOI: 10.1007/s43678-021-00210-y

The intranasal dexmedetomidine plus ketamine for procedural sedation in children, adaptive randomized controlled non-inferiority multicenter trial (Ketodex): a statistical analysis plan.

Trials

Heath A and Rios JD and Pullenayegum E and Pechlivanoglou P and Offringa M and Yaskina M and Watts R and Rimmer S and Klassen TP and Coriolano K and Poonai N and PERC-KIDSCAN Ketodex Study Group

DOI: 10.1186/s13063-020-04946-3 PubMed: 33407719

01 / 2021

Prevalence of Bacterial Meningitis among Febrile Infants Aged 29-60 Days with Positive Urinalysis Results: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

JAMA Network Open

Burstein, B. and Sabhaney, V. and Bone, J.N. and Doan, Q. and Mansouri, F.F. and Meckler, G.D.

DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.4544

The physical examination is unreliable in determining the location of the distal fibular physis

American Journal of Emergency Medicine

Dion, V. and Sabhaney, V. and Ahn, J.S. and Erdelyi, S. and Kim, D.J.

DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2021.07.040

A two-centre survey of caregiver perspectives on opioid use for children's acute pain management

Paediatrics and Child Health (Canada)

Jun, E. and Ali, S. and Yaskina, M. and Dong, K. and Rajagopal, M. and Drendel, A.L. and Fowler, M. and Poonai, N. and Freedman, S.B. and Osmanlliu, E. and Auclair, M.-C. and Plint, A. and Doan, Q. and Sabhaney, V. and Zemek, R. and Emerton, R.

DOI: 10.1093/pch/pxz162

Adaptive randomised controlled non-inferiority multicentre trial (the Ketodex Trial) on intranasal dexmedetomidine plus ketamine for procedural sedation in children: study protocol.

BMJ open

Poonai N and Coriolano K and Klassen T and Heath A and Yaskina M and Beer D and Sawyer S and Bhatt M and Kam A and Doan Q and Sabhaney V and Offringa M and Pechlivanoglou P and Hickes S and KidsCAN PERC iPCT-SPOR (Innovative Paediatric Clinical Trials " Strategy for Patient Oriented Research) Ketodex Study Team

DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-041319 PubMed: 33303457

12 / 2020

Predicting severe pneumonia in the emergency department: a global study of the Pediatric Emergency Research Networks (PERN)-study protocol.

BMJ open

Florin TA and Tancredi DJ and Ambroggio L and Babl FE and Dalziel SR and Eckerle M and Mintegi S and Neuman M and Plint AC and Kuppermann N and Pediatric Emergency Research Networks (PERN) Pneumonia Investigators

DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-041093 PubMed: 33268423

12 / 2020

Improving the diagnostic accuracy of appendicitis using a multidisciplinary pathway

Journal of Pediatric Surgery

Dhatt, S. and Sabhaney, V. and Bray, H. and Skarsgard, E.D.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2020.01.040

Intranasal dexmedetomidine for procedural distress in children: A systematic review

Pediatrics

Poonai, N. and Spohn, J. and Vandermeer, B. and Ali, S. and Bhatt, M. and Hendrikx, S. and Trottier, E.D. and Sabhaney, V. and Shah, A. and Joubert, G. and Hartling, L.

DOI: 10.1542/PEDS.2019-1623

117 Intranasal dexmedetomidine for procedural distress in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Paediatrics & Child Health

Poonai N and Spohn J and Hendrikx S and Doyon-Trottier E and Sabhaney V and Ali S and Shah A

05 / 2019

Accuracy of the Weight-for-age Index in Identifying Obese Children in the Emergency Setting

Journal of Research in Obesity

Reetika Tripathi and Quynh Doan and Vikram Sabhaney and Kathy Boutis

DOI: 10.5171/2014.558641

05 / 2014

Bone fractures in children: Is there an association with obesity?

Journal of Pediatrics

Sabhaney, V. and Boutis, K. and Yang, G. and Barra, L. and Tripathi, R. and Tran, T.T. and Doan, Q.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2014.04.006

Commentaries on 'Procalcitonin to initiate or discontinue antibiotics in acute respiratory tract infections' with a response from the review authors

Evidence-Based Child Health

Sabhaney, V. and Enarson, P. and Irwin, A.D. and Carrol, E.D. and Schuetz, P. and Briel, M. and Bucher, H.C. and Mueller, B.

DOI: 10.1002/ebch.1928

Child health update. Management of dog bites in children.

Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien

Sabhaney V and Goldman RD

PubMed: 23064918

10 / 2012

La prise en charge des morsures de chien chez les enfants.

Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien

Sabhaney V and Goldman RD

10 / 2012

Management of dog bites in children,La prise en charge des morsures de chien chez les enfants

Canadian Family Physician

Sabhaney, V. and Goldman, R.D.

The role of physician assistants in a pediatric emergency department: A center review and survey

Pediatric Emergency Care

Doan, Q. and Sabhaney, V. and Kissoon, N. and Johnson, D. and Sheps, S. and Singer, J.

DOI: 10.1097/PEC.0b013e3182627ce5

Assessment of Ondansetron-Associated Hypokalemia in Pediatric Oncology Patients

ISRN Oncology

Elsa Fiedrich and Vikram Sabhaney and Justin Lui and Maury Pinsk

DOI: 10.5402/2012/798239

A systematic review: The role and impact of the physician assistant in the emergency department

EMA - Emergency Medicine Australasia

Doan, Q. and Sabhaney, V. and Kissoon, N. and Sheps, S. and Singer, J.

DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-6723.2010.01368.x

Reperfusion hemorrhage is a marker for the severity of tissue injury in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction

Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance

Kumar, A. and Sabhaney, V. and Poeschko, S. and Schulz-Menger, J. and Dietz, R. and Friedrich, M.G.

DOI: 10.1186/1532-429X-12-S1-M2

Current Projects

Procedural Sedation RCT: prospective RCT of Propofol + Ketamine (Ketofol) vs Propofol + Fentanyl (Fentofol) for reduction of long-bone fractures. Recruiting any long bone fracture age 3-17 requiring procedural sedation for reduction.

Grants

2011 - 2012 "Effect of Body Mass Index on the Risk of Fractures in Children" $3,850.00 from BC Children's Hospital Research Institute iACT

2011 "Effect of Body Mass Index on the Risk of Fractures in Children" $1,000 from BCCH Emergency Department

Honours & Awards

2008 Emergency Physicians Society of Edmonton Booker Award, University of Alberta – recipient for highest performance during emergency medicine rotation.

2013 Child and Family Research Institute Trainee Research Award – recipient for outstanding achievement by a clinical subspecialty resident or fellow.

2011-2012 BC Children’s Hospital PEM Fellowship Teacher of the Year Award

Our Research

At BC Children’s, we are making discoveries that save lives and transform health care for children in our province and around the world. Our research portfolio includes basic, clinical, population, and public health research.

EXPLORE OUR RESEARCH

Stay in the Know

Sign up for compelling stories about innovative science, the doctors and researchers who turn ideas into discoveries and treatments, and the kids and families whose lives are changed.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.