pool

1. A collection of blood or other fluid in any region of the body; p. of blood results from dilation and retardation of the circulation in the capillaries and veins of the region. 2. A combination of resources. [A.S. pol]

- abdominal p. the volume of blood within the abdomen.

- gene p. the set of the genes that are available for inheritance in a particular mating population.

- metabolic p. the quantity of a given chemical compound or group of related compounds participating in metabolic reactions; may constitute only a portion of the total bodily content of such compounds.

- vaginal p. the secretions and material that accumulate in the posterior fornix of the vagina; used for sampling, principally for evaluation after premature rupture of the membranes.

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pool 'pül vi of blood to accumulate or become static (as in the veins of a bodily part) <blood \pooled in his legs>

pool n a readily available supply: as

a) the whole quantity of a particular material present in the body and available for function or the satisfying of metabolic demands see GENE POOL, METABOLIC POOL

b) a body product (as blood) collected from many donors and stored for later use

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(pl) 1. a common reservoir on which to draw; a supply available to be used by a group. 2. to create such a reservoir or supply, such as the mixing of plasma from several donors. 3. an accumulation, as of blood in any part of the body due to retardation of the venous circulation.