**3.3 Logistics between clinic and laboratory**

Pre-analytical sampling errors have been claimed to contribute significantly to falsenegative culture results, with highly sensitive PCR techniques being a means to overcome these drawbacks (Achermann et al., 2010). Guidelines devised by the German Society of Hygiene and Microbiology have proposed that periprosthetic sample material intended for microbiological cultivation should be processed within one hour post-drawing. Although such stringent demands are not realistic for the routine setting, it is indeed crucial to establish a standardized work flow between the clinic and the laboratory regarding the procedures of sample drawing, transportation to the laboratory, and specimen processing. The organizational structure in our laboratory comprises a courier service as well as evening and weekend laboratory duty, which ensures that over 95% of culture samples are processed within 6 hours post-operatively (see 4.1.1).
