Sounds like you & hubby need & deserve more info & explanation from the hospital & surgeon. Ask your hubby's family doctor to speak with the surgeon if you can't get answers from the surgeon directly. You should also ask that your husband be promptly referred to a pulmonologist for follow-up treatment and to figure out why he is having trouble keeping his saturation levels up without supplemental oxygen.
In the meantime, please help your husband avoid all lung irritants, especially smoke & cigarettes.
Please post what you learn.
Starion
Did your husband receive any of the following pain medications:
Vicodin, Hydrocodone, Roxicodone, Oxicodone, Percocet, OXY-CONTIN, MORPHINE
One can have COPD with a seemingly normal chest x-ray. Post-surgical pain can restrict chest movement. This can result in the need for oxygen until the pain has gone. This is more likely to happen in a person with COPD, even if the COPD was not previously diagnosed. However, there are many other reasons for a low oxygen level after surgery. This includes clots to the lung, pneumonia, lung collapse etc. Your husband should have this evaluated as soon as possible by his doctor, starting with a repeat chest x-ray.