Final answer:
The nurse should assess the client's bowel sounds first after an AAA repair, as this is critical for detecting potential gastrointestinal issues. Administering antibiotics would have been done prior to surgery, and while important, splinting the incision and ambulating the patient come after an assessment.
Step-by-step explanation:
The nurse should prioritize interventions and assessments based on the client's most immediate needs following an AAA repair. The first intervention should be to assess the client's bowel sounds, as this will provide important information regarding the return of gastrointestinal function and potential complications such as an ileus or bowel obstruction. While administering a prophylactic antibiotic may also be important, it is likely this has been covered previously as antibiotics are typically administered 60 minutes before an incision is made to minimize the risk of infection. Encouraging the client to splint the incision may be helpful for pain management and preventing incisional hernia when the client is coughing or moving. Finally, while it is important to ambulate the client with assistance to prevent complications such as deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, ambulation should be done after an initial assessment of the patient's condition.