What are polys in a blood test?

Answer 1

polys or PMN's - polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Cells that contain large visible granules are sometimes called granulocytes. They can be separated into 3 distinct cell lines, based on the reaction of the granules to the most commonly used stain in Hematology, the Wright stain. The stain is a pH based stain. Structures that favor the basic stain stain dark blue or basophilic; while those that favor the acid stain, eosin, stain bright red-orange. Some structures seem indifferent to the stain and are called neutral. The most numerous cell line of the granulocytes contain both light blue and light pink granules. As a result they are called neutrophils. This cell line is considered the first line of defense against most bacteria. It takes 6 steps for this cell to mature from a myeloblast to a fully mature cell. There have been several different ways to identify these cells so the following names are more or less synonymous: The most mature cells is called polymorphonuclear leukocytes (polys or PMN's) or segmented neutrophils (segs). One step from fully mature is the band or nonsegmented cell. Both these cells types are functional; the older one seems just a little bit faster. These cells are usually between 50 - 70% of all of the cells seen in a normal differential performed on an adult. These numbers do not work for infants and young children.