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Introduction: Pericardial effusion is the accumulation of over-normal fluid in the pericardial space that is pathologic and causes cardiac dysfunction and sometimes death of the patient. We aimed to evaluate the etiology and mortality of pericardial window patients. Materials and Methods: A retrospective descriptive analysis was performed on all the patients with cardiac tamponade, who were admitted to cardiac surgery ward of Ghaem Hospital during 2013-2017. We included patients who had undergone transthoracic echocardiography by the cardiology service at least once. After completing the forms specific to information and considered variables, SPSS was used to analyze the data. P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: Of the 100 patients, 45 were female and 55 were male. The mean age of the patients was 57 years. The most common etiologies included viral infections (25%), tuberculosis (10%), malignancy (6%), chronic kidney diseases (4%), connective tissue disorders (4%), chronic liver diseases (3%), and history of open heart surgery (3%). In 45% of the cases, a specific etiology could not be established. The rate of mortality was reported 2%. Conclusion: Pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade are life threatening conditions. However, timely medical intervention and surgery, as well as proper operative management, can effectively save lives and reduce patient mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]