Final answer:
Immediate postoperative care of a patient with a history of alcohol use and a lacerated spleen repair should prioritize monitoring for alcohol withdrawal, due to the risk of serious complications, before encouraging ambulation or focusing on coughing exercises and renal function.
Step-by-step explanation:
The immediate postoperative care of a patient who has undergone surgery for repair of a lacerated spleen after an alcohol-related motor vehicle accident should prioritize monitoring for signs and symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.
This takes precedence due to the potential for acute alcohol withdrawal, which can lead to serious and life-threatening complications, including delirium tremens.
Patients with a history of alcohol use may have developed a physical dependence on the substance, and the stress of surgery, along with the inability to consume alcohol, can precipitate withdrawal.
Monitoring the patient for alcohol withdrawal is crucial, as withdrawal can have a significant impact on recovery and can affect various body systems.
Encouraging early ambulation should follow once the patient's condition stabilizes. While splinting the abdomen is important for coughing and deep-breathing exercises to prevent pulmonary complications, and monitoring the patient's renal function is also essential, these interventions do not take precedence over the monitoring for alcohol withdrawal.