A catheter sheath introducer (10) comprises a hub (14) and a tubular sheath (12) having an inner lining with one or more dampers (32)to improve retention of medical devices received or passed through the sheath without significantly increasing the force required to advance the medical device through the sheath. The dampers are made of a friction inducing material, for example, rubber-based materials, and configured as fingers, bumps or flaps that are unidirectional by means of an asymmetrical shape relative to a longitudinal axis of the sheath.
