What does it mean to have a left shift?
Also question is, how do you know if its a left shift?
Most of the time, when you see a left shift, it means that the patient has an infection – often a bacterial one. Sometimes a left shift can occur when there is inflammation or necrosis. Beware, though, if you see nucleated red cells in addition to left-shifted neutrophils.
Also Know, what does it mean to have a left shift in WBC?
A "left shift" is a phrase used to note that there are a high number of young, immature white blood cells present. Most commonly, this means that there is an infection or inflammation present and the bone marrow is producing more WBCs and releasing them into the blood before they are fully mature.
Today, the term "shift to the left" means that the bands or stabs have increased, indicating an infection in progress. For example, a patient with acute appendicitis might have a "WBC count of 15,000 with 65% of the cells being mature neutrophils and an increase in stabs or band cells to 10%".