Ear Nose & Throat Institute: Respler Don S MD

We have been taking our children to Dr. Respler for various ears nose and throat issues over the years and recommend him to anyone who needs ENT help. His expertise is renown and his cautious attitude has prevented us from rushing to have surgery for conditions that could be addressed in other ways. His bedside manner is amazing and he knows how to put a child at ease and not be afraid. His office is child
friendly, clean and neat.

I have been to many Pediatric ENTs before until I found Dr. Respler. Dr. Respler is the most knowledgeable and caring ENT I have been to and was the only ENT out of the previous 3 I visited to accuracy diagnosis my daughter. My daughter was nervous and not so cooperative in the beginning but Dr. Respler handled her perfectly and loosened the mood to make her feel comfortable! His staff was friendly and his office was clean with lots of toys for my child to play with. I would definitely recommend.

Dr. Respler is an amazing physician with a great bedside manner. Excellent with children, they are put at ease. His office is conveniently located and was bright, warm and clean --great environment for me and my family.

So here's the thing, we came to Dr. Respler because he was both recommended by our pediatrician and was rated highly on a various medical review sites. Please keep in mind, I don't consider myself to be a difficult person to please and I certainly don't have unrealistic expectations of how treatment should be given in a doctor's office.

With that being said, HYGIENE is a major issue here. If this place was a restaurant it would be shut down by the health department in a heartbeat. I'm not talking about the place could use a dusting, im talking about serious filth and habits that lead to the spread of diseases and infection.

1. Upon walking into the office we were immediately greeted with the smell of cigarette smoke. To be fair I wasn't sure if that was the doctor, someone on his staff, or one of the kids parents... So I was quick to dismiss it.

2. Play area. When I first saw the play area I thought to myself awesome - our little one could be entertained. Sadly, I was wrong. They had a block area that was beyond FILTHY. I'm talking tons of dirt, grime and even a piece of candy stuck to the table. It looked like it was never even sprayed with Lysol let alone wiped down. The table had grime and filth all over it, the blocks were even worse. Light colored blocks had the a lovely dingy hue because of what appeared years of accumulated dirt and drool. I immediately grabbed my little one's hand and covered it with hand sanitizer.

At this point I probably should have left, but I waited weeks for this appointment and thought well maybe its not that bad in the exam room.

3. The exam room. Well, I definitely should have left after seeing the above. The exam room was even WORSE. Where do I begin?

The sterilizing fluid located on in a beaker on the wall looked as if it was never replaced, and the container that was holding the fluid didn't look any where near sterile. Kids, being the every so curious little ones that they are started to open up cabinets and draws to uncover a wonderful world ENT equipment and corresponding attachments left exposed in drawers. No they weren't wrapped in plastic or locked in cabinets they were just laying there, waiting to be shoved in someones nose, ear or mouth.

My favorite part was when my little one opened the cabinet door for the suction equipment. What do I see? A container of what appeared to be the doctor's ever growing collection of bodily fluids hanging out.

As I prepared to run for the hills, we finally got to meet this "highly recommended" doctor.

4. Hello Doctor! Would you mind not chewing on food while introducing yourself to me? Also, how about we wash the chicken grease off your hands? While we're at it, maybe you should put on a pair of gloves that didn't seem to be present in the office.

With that, I ran for the hills... I wouldn't take my dog here let a lone my child. Seriously, I can't believe such a filthy place exists right across from Hackensack UMC. Perhaps the health department or medical review board needs a phone call. I'm not a difficult person, but seriously, the level of neglect towards cleanliness and disease prevention is mind boggling.

PROCEED WITH CAUTION!