Acute Abdomen From Umbilical Hernia Rupture to Flood Syndrome: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Flood syndrome is caused by spontaneous rupture of an umbilical hernia in a patient with tense, long-standing ascites. It is a rare complication of hepatic cirrhosis and has a high mortality rate. Flood syndrome is so named because a rush of ascitic fluid often follows the spontaneous umbilical hernia rupture. We present a case of a 39-year-old male patient with a history of alcoholic liver cirrhosis and recurrent ascites who underwent multiple abdominal paracentesis prior to developing an umbilical hernia that eventually ruptured, causing flood syndrome. The authors would like to discuss flood syndrome with a focus on management options.