Bjorn C. Westgard, MD, MA
Emergency Medicine Physician and Research Investigator
About

HealthPartners Medical Group title: Emergency medicine physician

Education: MD, University of Illinois- Urbana; residency in emergency medicine, Hennepin County Medical Center; fellowship in undersea and hyperbaric medicine, Hennepin County Medical Center.
Affiliation
positions
  • Research Investigator, Community and population health
    • Publications While At HealthPartners
    selected publications
    Journal Article
  • Effort during ethanol breath testing impacts correlation with serum ethanol concentration. 
    Western Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2025
  • Notes from the field: human parvovirus B19 infections among pregnant persons - Minnesota, January-September 2024. 
    MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2024
  • Use of sequential hot-deck imputation for missing health care systems data for population health research. 
    Medical Care. 2024
  • Minnesota data sharing may be model for near-real-time tracking of drug overdose hospital and ED trends. 
    Health Affairs. 2023
  • A structural competency framework for emergency medicine research: results from a scoping review and consensus conference review]. 
    Western Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2022
  • Case series of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for central retinal artery occlusion. 
    Retinal Cases & Brief Reports. 2021
  • Prevalence of cardiovascular disease and risk factors among Somali immigrants and refugees. 
    Journal of immigrant and minority health. 2021
  • Quick cuts: a comparative study of two tools for ring tourniquet removal. 
    American Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2021
  • An analysis of changes in emergency department visits after a state declaration during the time of COVID-19. 
    Annals of Emergency Medicine. 2020
  • Characterization of regional poison center utilization through geospatial mapping. 
    Western Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2020
  • Availability of bedside and laboratory testing for carbon monoxide poisoning in the upper midwestern United States. 
    Western Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2019
  • Esophageal stricture following radiation, concurrent immunochemotherapy, treated with hyperbaric oxygen and dilation
    2019
  • An approach to treating a patient with a HeartMate II left ventricular assist device in a multiplace hyperbaric chamber: a case report. 
    Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine. 2018
  • Microangiography to monitor treatment outcomes following severe frostbite injury to the hands. 
    Journal of burn care & research. 2018
  • Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the prevention of arterial gas embolism in food grade hydrogen peroxide ingestion. 
    American Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2017
  • Hunger and food insecurity among patients in an urban emergency department. 
    Western Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2013
  • Longitudinal and regional trends in paramedic student exposure to advanced airway placement: 2001-2011. 
    Prehospital Emergency Care. 2013
  • Disparities in potentially avoidable emergency department (ED) care: ED visits for ambulatory care sensitive conditions. 
    Medical Care. 2012
    • Editorial Article
  • Power in the study of mortality and necrotizing soft tissue infections [editorial]. 
    Surgical Infections.  11. 2010
    • Conference Poster
  • A randomized controlled trial of emergency department dental care vouchers to improve care and reduce return visits [poster]
    2017
  • How should we evaluate cardiac risk in the older asymptomatic scuba diver [poster]?
    2017
  • Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the prevention of arterial gas embolism in food grade hydrogen peroxide ingestion [poster]
    2017
  • Iatrogenic arterial gas embolism case series treated with hyperbaric oxygen [poster]
    2017
  • Improvements in teamwork, care quality and patient safety through the implementation of an emergent hyperbaric treatment checklist [poster]
    2017
  • Successful treatment of a patient with a left ventricular assist device with hperbaric oxygen at 2.4 ATA [poster]
    2017
  • Case series of patients with central retinal artery obstruction with the diagnosis confirmed with bedside ultrasound [poster]
    2016
  • Fluorescence microangiography to guide management of non-healing wounds [poster]
    2016
  • Prospective study of mucosal atomizer device use on myringotomy patency [poster]
    2016
  • Awake, anesthetized myringotomy: a retrospective case series from a new standard of practice [poster]
    2015
  • Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for central retinal artery occluation (CRAO): improved outcomes in a retrospective case series [poster]
    2015
  • Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is associated with improved mortality in necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTIs): a retrospective case-control study in two urban hospitals [poster]
    2015
  • Intensive community engagement to address cardiovascular disease risk factors in a disadvantaged refugee population [poster]
    2015
  • Triple-aim hotspots: neighborhood factors in potentially avoidable emergency department visits and costs [poster]
    2015
  • Hotspots of triple aim opportunity: identifying geographic clusters of potentially preventable emergency department visits and costs [poster]
    2014
  • Morbidity and mortality in necrotizing soft tissue infections (INSTIs): hyperbaric oxygen versus standard therapy in two urban hospitals [poster]
    2014
  • A project to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to hotspot preventable, high-cost conditions and potential community health solutions [poster]
    2013
  • Association between healthy food availability and emergency department presentations for diet-related illness [poster]
    2013
  • Healthy neighborhoods and the emergency department: is neighborhood healthy food availability associated with emergency department presentations for diet-related illness [poster]?
    2013
  • Inter-hospital transfer vectors and the de-facto regionalization of specialty care [poster]
    2013
  • Morbidity and mortality in necrotizing soft tissue infections: hyperbaric oxygen versus standard therapy in two urban hospitals [poster]
    2013
  • Associations between healthy food availability and emergency department presentations for diet-related illness [poster]
    2012
  • Improving disparities in pain control in the Emergency Department [poster]
    2012
    • Report
  • Identifying patient-centered outcomes for digital care for chronic conditions - final Engagement report
    2024
    • Abstract
  • Rethinking the standard of care for patients with central retinal artery occlusion [abstract]. 
    Annals of Emergency Medicine. 2017
  • Association of missed outpatient appointments and emergency department visits and inpatient admissions [abstract]. 
    Annals of Emergency Medicine. 2014
  • Healthy food availability is associated with neighborhood incidence of emergency department visits for diet-related illnesses [abstract]. 
    Academic Emergency Medicine. 2014
  • Spatial information, geographic information systems (GIS), and geo-spatial methods in public health and emergency care research [abstract]. 
    Academic Emergency Medicine. 2012
  • Increasing rate of patients who are homeless and have unstable living situations presenting to the emergency department at an urban county hospital between 2007 and 2009 [abstract]. 
    Academic Emergency Medicine. 2010
  • Increasing rate of the experience of hunger among patients presenting to the emergency department at an urban county medical center [abstract]. 
    Academic Emergency Medicine. 2010
  • Longitudinal analysis of the Minnesota Homeless Survey data 1991-2006: changing associations between emergency department usage, shelter type, chronic illness, and access to services [abstract]. 
    Academic Emergency Medicine. 2009
    • presentations
    Contact
    full name
  • Bjorn C. Westgard, MD, MA
    • located in facility
    Quick Info
    Publications
    Publications in the past 10 years based solely on publications while at HealthPartners. Publications in prior years appear in grey.
    Collaboration
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