The nurse examines the patient's complete blood count with differential analysis and notices that the patient's neutrophils are elevated,but the lymphocytes are lower than normal.The drop in lymphocyte count in the differential is most likely due to:

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The differential count measures the percentage of each type of white blood cell (WBC)present in the venous blood sample,the total adding up to 100%.If the percentage of one type of WBC goes up (neutrophil count),the percentage of the remaining WBCs must go down as a result of the mathematical function of the differential.An elevation in the neutrophil count usually indicates a bacterial infection."Bands" are immature neutrophils.The phrase "a shift to the left" refers to an increased number of "bands," or band neutrophils,compared with mature neutrophils on a complete blood count (CBC)report.This finding generally indicates an acute bacterial infectious process (not viral)that draws on the WBC reserves in the bone marrow and causes less mature forms to be released.

The Nurse Examines the Patient's Complete Blood Count with Differential