Currently, there is a wide awareness of the high degree of functional impairment and morbimortality associated with hip fractures in the elderly, and efforts are being made to improve outcomes. As age rises, physiological reserves decline, and more severe complications occur. Simultaneous bilateral extracapsular hip fractures in the setting of low-energy trauma in the elderly are rare but deserve special attention with treatment strategies that are in between those for unilateral hip fractures and elderly patients with multiple injuries. Adequate initial assessment, a multidisciplinary approach to trauma care, and the integration of medical and orthopaedic surgical attention are paramount. Furthermore, there is a need for early single-stage surgical fixation in medically stable patients and optimization of patients who are unfit. Despite some variations from unilateral cases, the main objective remains to achieve painless hips and stable fixation for early mobilization with the lowest morbidity and mortality rates. General anesthesia for intramedullary nailing using short nonreamed nails for stable fracture patterns and minimal reaming when long nails are used may be regarded as the best option. Physicians should be cautious of the higher risk of complications such as blood loss, fat embolism syndrome, and adult respiratory distress syndrome. Orthogeriatric management and multidisciplinary teams may also improve outcomes, as demonstrated for unilateral hip fractures. Secondary prevention of fractures is promoted through the prescription of antiosteoporotic treatment, nutritional assessment, and skills training. This literature review aims to help optimize the management of patients with simultaneous bilateral extracapsular hip fractures, outlining the differential concerns with respect to unilateral cases.

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Simultaneous and bilateral proximal femoral fractures (PFF) are rare and have scarcely been reported in the literature. A case of a bilateral extracapsular PFF is herein presented. Besides, an exhaustive review of the literature was performed, analyzing the information of all previously reported cases. An 81-year-old woman, who suffered a casual fall, was diagnosed with bilateral PFF consisting of both a subtrochanteric and an intertrochanteric fracture. She underwent concurrent intramedullary fixation for both fractures without any relevant complication and started early ambulation. Simultaneous bilateral extracapsular PFF are exceptional, with only 23 cases described in the current literature. In the elderly, they deserve special attention with treatment strategies in between the ones for unilateral hip fractures and those provided to old multiply injured patients. PFF management is not well established. Minimal reaming and careful nailing can be safely performed bilaterally under close monitoring, in order to start an early functional recovery.

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