The Ins and Outs of the Complete Blood Count With Differential: Back to Basics.

A complete blood count (CBC) with differential is an essential laboratory test used to evaluate overall physiologic health and detect potential disorders in neonates. This test provides valuable insights into various blood cell types and structures and offers information on infections, immune status, anemia, and other hematologic conditions. Given the unique physiology and susceptibility of neonates to infections and other complications, interpreting the CBC with differential results in this population requires a specialized approach. The purpose of this article is to describe the components of the CBC and provide the reader with a neonatal case study to analyze and calculate values from within the CBC. The article also highlights common disorders causing abnormal neonatal CBC values and potential outcomes.